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Controversial Remarks on a Domestic Violence case by Pune Court Judge Spark Outrage on Social Media
While notable judgments from the Madras and Gauhati High Courts have seen men granted divorces due to their wives’ refusal to wear traditional marriage symbols like mangalsutra and sindoor, a recent comment from a judge in a Pune court is now making waves on social media.Ankur R. Jahagirdar, a disputes lawyer based in Pune, shared an incident on LinkedIn involving an offhand remark made by the judge during a mediation session in a domestic violence case.
Jahagirdar recounted that the judge addressed the woman, stating, “I can see that you are not wearing a mangalsutra and bindi. If you don’t behave like a married woman, why would your husband show any interest in you?” He noted that the couple had already separated, and the judge was attempting to encourage an amicable resolution.In a further critique of the judicial mindset, Jahagirdar recounted another instance where the judge remarked, “If a woman is earning well, she will always look for a husband who earns more than her and will never settle for someone who earns less. However, a well-earning man might marry a maid who does his household chores. Look how flexible men are.
You should also show some flexibility. Don’t be so rigid.”Jahagirdar expressed his discomfort with these comments, stating, “What I didn’t like more is that neither the client nor an onlooker such as myself really had any proper recourse against such offhand remarks made by judges.”He described these incidents as merely the “tip of the iceberg,” indicating that far more troubling occurrences happen in district courts that would shock rational individuals.
He lamented, “Unfortunately, our society has a baseline tolerance for some outrageous things. The first rule of the patriarchy club is you do not talk about the patriarchy club.”This is not an isolated incident; following the Gauhati High Court’s 2020 ruling, social media users began posting images of themselves without traditional marriage symbols like sindoor and mangalsutra, fueling discussions around societal norms and expectations.
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