The women’s wall formed in the State on January 1 was a turning point in gender justice, noted social activist and lawyer Indira Jaising has said.
The next day, two women entered the Sabarimala temple and offered prayers. The Sabarimala temple case was basically a gender issue. Preventing women from offering prayers at a temple is akin to stopping members of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes from worshipping at temples, she added. Ms. Jaising was addressing a meeting on ‘Representation of women in general elections 2019’ here on Monday.
The meeting was jointly organised by RTI Kerala Federation, Pravasi Legal Cell (Kerala Chapter), and Chavara Cultural Centre.
The BJP has no significant presence in Kerala, and the Sabarimala issue is being used to influence the outcome of the elections in the State, the senior lawyer said.
Defining constitutional morality as a combination of fundamental rights and directives principles, Ms. Jai Sing said equality before law was the fundamental aspect of constitutional morality.
“There is no unit which is free of dynasty rule in the country. There has not been a single judge from Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities in the Supreme Court,” she pointed out.
Ms. Jaising said the 50% reservation for women in local bodies was a significant step towards building a pool of human resources in the country. Local bodies are training grounds for women to come up in State Assemblies and Parliament, she said.
Fr. Robin Kannanchira, Jose Abraham, D.B. Binu, and Thampi Johnson were present.
