India to overhaul colonial-era criminal laws, repeal penal code
Al JazeeraAug 03, 2023
India's Supreme Court Issues Guidance on Terminology Used for Women
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The Facts
India's Supreme Court has released a handbook advising against using words and terms used to describe women that are considered stereotypical or prejudicial. This is part of an attempt to tackle sexism in the judicial system.
The handbook, released by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, contains a glossary of "unjust" gender terms while suggesting "alternative words or phrases" that may be used within pleadings, orders, and judgments.
The Spin
Left narrative
India's new legal handbook is a catalyst for change for the better, and rejecting derogatory terms against women should not simply be limited to the courts. Unfortunately, women in India still largely lack autonomy within a patriarchal society, and the change in support of such a reality is still too slow. The legal system's confrontation with the oppression of women is an appreciated start, but Indian women must be further supported.
Right narrative
Justice DY Chandrachud may be praised by the left, but there is serious concern over his desire to replicate the judicial system of the Christian West. Courts cannot seek to harm the traditional understanding of Indian society, when the reality is that some are born unequally with differing abilities and potentials. In an attempt to protect all human rights, Chandrachud and leftist ideology continues to harm the nexus of society, and will inevitably dig its own grave as a consequence.
