In an unusual disclosure, a sitting judge of the Supreme Court has listed her unmarried daughters as ‘liabilities’. This has triggered sharp reactions from women rights activists…
In an unusual disclosure, a sitting judge of the Supreme Court has listed her unmarried daughters as ‘liabilities’. This has triggered sharp reactions from women rights activists.The details of assets and liabilities owned by Justice Gyan Sudha Mishra for the year 2010, which have been put up on the court’s website, mentioned the pending marriage of her two daughters under the column titled other liabilities.Justice Mishra, who was the first woman Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High Court and is now the only woman judge in the Supreme Court of India, has clubbed the expenses needed for her daughters’ marriage with her need to build a house post retirement in her other liabilities column.
Justice Mishra has also listed some property and basic jewellery as her assets.
Predictably, women activists have reacted sharply against Justice Mishra’s move.
“This is most unfortunate that a learned person who is supposed to uphold India’s constitution, which provides for equality between men and women, has to say something like this. It speaks volumes about the social mindset,” said women’s rights activist Ranjana Kumari.
“As far as the parents’ thinking that marriage expenses should be collected and stored in order to give their children proper wedding – particularly girls – is concerned, I think that it’s rather unfortunate that our culture and our traditions that prevail, force so many people to do this,” said advocate Kirti Singh.
