“Gender-neutrality” must prevail in every judgement and any stereotypes cannot blind the judges on subject matters of profession or gender. It was reviewing a ruling that cleared the husband of a police official of allegations of cruelty under the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Judges take on Gender-neutrality
According to Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma, the sessions court’s conclusions were based on “unjustified bias and perception.” A police officer could never be a victim of domestic abuse rather than on the criminal law rules and a fair trial.
Judges must remember the concept of gender neutrality when writing decisions that involve terminologies and language of gender neutrality. Judges’ mindsets should be free from preconceptions or biases related to their line of task or their gender.
Inclusion of Gender-neutrality In Delhi Judicial Academy
Delhi Judicial Academy is asked by the Delhi HC to include gender sensitivity in its syllabus. The HC stated that the professional background and gender of the complainant if given undue attention, the concepts of equality and justice seem disregarded.
The accused husband was said not to have intimated his wife because of his professional position, but the court noted that both the wife and the husband, in this case, were employed by the Delhi Police, but the position of the wife was used against her by the sessions court.
Spectacles of impartiality, gender neutrality, and equality, must be the primary responsibility of legal and judicial academics. Judges must not view litigants through spheres of gender inequalities, while some hidden perceptions or biases prevail in their mindset.
Concept of Gender-neutrality
Understanding “gender-neutrality” and including it in judicial education curriculum, promotes well-informed judgements and deeper analysis of the viewpoints of others. Women sometimes are prone to mistreatment because of a lack of power and influence in their households.
Advantages of Gender-neutrality to Women
All women must be treated with the same dignity, access to legal safeguards, and respect, regardless of their origin or their status. The Supreme Court has declared that this concept applies to man as well. Women’s empowerment or achievement must never be used as a tool to diminish their position or deny them their legal privileges or protections.
