Forget Vicky Kaushal, everybody seems to
be crushing on the Supreme Court nowadays thanks to landmark judgements which
will no doubt have a major impact on the great Indian future. Some of us who
don’t believe in invoking love laws made famous by Arundhati Roy which dictate
who should be loved, how and how much had barely recovered from the happiness
engendered by the verdict decriminalising homosexuality when the Men in Black
Robes put the pedal to the metal and authenticated aadhar with a few caveats,
ruled that adultery is not a crime and women of all ages irrespective of their
menstruating age must not be denied entry into Sabarimala. People considered
smarter than me on account of being actual experts have written at length on
the significance of these monumental matters, but that is hardly reason enough
to keep my opinions to myself is it?
While it is nice of the Supreme Court to
uphold the noble principles of democracy that our freedom fighter ancestors
fought and died for, the battle is far from over. After all, as citizens we
have seldom felt obliged to honour either the letter or the spirit of the law
and every one of us is guilty of a range of minor and major offenses ranging
from bribery, traffic violations, littering, discriminating on the basis of
caste, colour, gender or if you are a Bollywood star, stashing weapons for
terrorists, killing endangered species, running over pavement dwellers and
getting away with it not entirely
scot-free since concerned officials have to be paid off first.
Therefore, it is one thing to declare
that it is okay to be LGBTQ by the highest judicial authority in the land but
entirely another for a dude to be able to openly date another dude or a
transgendered person to run either for public office or represent India at the
Olympics. Even the celebs don’t seem to be in a tearing hurry to come out of
the closet as yet. And you can hardly blame them, after all this is the land
where anti – Romeo squads run rampant and straight couples who marry outside of
their caste are hounded or murdered in broad daylight even as the guardians of
the law turn a blind eye to the plight of victims.
It cannot be denied that steps have been
taken in the right direction with regard to women’s rights. But of course,
there is a but... It is all well and good for the wise men to declare that
“husband is not the master of the wife” or “To treat women as children of a
lesser god is to blink at the constitution itself” but make no mistake words
are wind without proper action to back them up. Dowry harassment, rape,
trafficking of little girls, workplace abuse, stalking are very real evils
plaguing women that aren’t just going to disappear in a puff of smoke, just because
women can now visit a famous temple in Kerala.
We need to work harder than ever before
if the daughters as well as sons of India, irrespective of their sexual
orientation and feelings towards Aadhar are to feel safe and cherished.
Otherwise, even the Supreme Court is just a toothless tiger.
This article was originally carried by The New Indian Express.
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