The Supreme Court had in November last ordered Mumbai’s Cine Costume, Make-up Artist & Hair Dressers Association to drop its “obstinacy” and open its doors to women. Make-up artist Charu Khurana had taken her battle to court, but the Association had managed to come back with one excuse or the other.
“What is happening in this country? First comply with our orders. Give her the membership,” a visibly annoyed Justice Dipak Misra told the Association’s lawyer on Monday.
Ms. Khurana said her struggle for equal treatment began 10 years ago when she first approached the Bombay High Court against the no-entry rule. She also moved the National Commission for Women, where the case remained pending for five years before she finally knocked on the Supreme Court’s doors.
In a petition, Ms. Khurana and eight other women make-up artists detailed how they were discriminated against.
The petition, filed through advocate Jyotika Kalra, asked why women still face discrimination despite having gained entry in all spheres of public life.
The apex court held that the bar on women was sheer gender bias.
It said the gender classification “affected their constitutional rights to be treated with equality.”
But Ms. Khurana has more to accomplish.
“The Association does not allow members to do personal make-up for the first three years after being enrolled. Why should a talented, qualified make-up artist have to wait for three years to do top-notch personal make-up? Why should an Association have monopoly over the personal decision of an actor or a celebrity to use the services of a particular artist?” Ms. Khurana said.
The Supreme Court has decided to hear her on this point in August.