Bengaluru, Aug 9 — National Commission for Women Chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar emphasised that justice for women is a shared constitutional responsibility, adding that justice must not only be timely, but it must also inspire trust, an official said on Sunday.
Speaking at the first South Zone Regional Conference on “Justice for Women”, Rahatkar said that delivering justice is important, but ensuring that every citizen believes that justice has truly been delivered is equally important.
She emphasised the need to ensure that heinous offences against women are not subjected to settlement or compromise, said an official statement.
The NCW Chairperson called for greater judicial sensitivity in the pronouncement of judgments and urged that judicial language and terminology be used with care to prevent secondary traumatisation of survivors of sexual assault.
She offered to consider the National Commission for Women as amicus curiae in appropriate matters concerning women’s rights and justice.
The NCW Chairperson said, “The Supreme Court, as the custodian of the Constitution, is entrusted with protecting the rights promised by it. The Right to Life also includes the Right to live a dignified life. Therefore, the judiciary is also the custodian of women’s dignity and rights.”
Rahatkar said every time a court protects a woman’s dignity, it strengthens the Constitution. “A sensitive courtroom builds trust in justice. When the judiciary and other institutions work together, we move closer to an India where every woman experiences justice with dignity, equality and hope,” she said.
The two-day conference, which culminated on Sunday, was organised by the NCW in association with the Supreme Court of India, High Court of Karnataka and Karnataka Judicial Academy.
The conference brought together Judges of the Supreme Court, High Courts and District Courts from across the Southern region for focused deliberations on women’s access to justice, safety, dignity and the effective implementation of legal safeguards.
The conference was inaugurated on Saturday by Justice B.V. Nagarathna of the Supreme Court, in the presence of Rahatkar, Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru of the High Court of Karnataka and judges of the High Court.
Justice B.V. Nagarathna highlighted the distinct nature of harm suffered by women and observed, “The harm suffered by women is fundamentally distinct from the harm suffered by men.”
She noted that perpetrators are often not faceless strangers but men upon whom women may be financially or socially dependent.
The inaugural session also witnessed the release of the digital version of ‘We the Women of India’ by Justice Jayant Banerji, Judge, High Court of Karnataka and president, Karnataka Judicial Academy, and the book ‘Breaking the Silence – A Complete Guide to Domestic Violence and the Law’ by Justice S.G. Pandit, Judge, High Court of Karnataka and president, Karnataka Mediation Centre.
Justice V. Mohana of the Supreme Court emphasised the profound impact of language used in judicial decisions and observed that the words used in judgments shape legal culture, institutional behaviour and public attitudes towards equality. She stressed that the constitutional commitment to dignity requires not only fair outcomes but also a fair process, so that justice is experienced with dignity.