Left women leaders slam Delhi HC Justice Pratibha Singh for comments hailing Manusmriti
New Delhi, Aug 11: Left women leaders have slammed Delhi High Court Justice Pratibha Singh for her purported comments that Manusmriti gives "a very respectable position to women".
In a statement on Thursday, National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW) general secretary Annie Raja registered her strong disagreement with Justice Singh's comments.
Speaking on challenges faced by women in science, technology, entrepreneurship and mathematics on Wednesday, Justice Singh presented highly regressive ideas which reeked of casteism as well as classism, Annie Raja said.
"Her reading of the Manusmriti willfully chooses to ignore the institutionalised prescriptions of the absolute disciplining and punishing of women bodies and ideas. This is in addition to the despicable ascriptive norms of caste that is encoded in the said text, the NFIW said in the statement.
Justice Singh seems woefully ignorant of the pathetic condition of women at large and particularly of women from historically marginalised communities not just in the Indian subcontinent but across the globe, she said.
CPIM politburo member Brinda Karat said as a a High Court judge, Justice Singh is duty bound to uphold the Constitution of India regardless of her personal views.
"The scriptures she has quoted are in many sections directly in flagrant opposition to the Constitution and the rights granted to women of India and especially Dalit and Adivasi women by the Constitution," Karat said in a statement.
"Her statement only strengthens the retrogressive views of those who uphold the caste system and that women must accept subordination and control of men fathers, husbands, sons," she added.
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Speaker UT Khader attends local cricket tournament during Bhatkal visit
Bhatkal: Speaker of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly U. T. Khader visited Bhatkal in Uttara Kannada district on Saturday and attended a local cricket match being played as part of a tournament organised by the Cosmos Sports Centre of Bhatkal.
After attending a programme at Anjuman Hami-E-Muslimeen, Khader proceeded to the Bhatkal Taluka Stadium, where the tournament is underway. He was accompanied by office-bearers of the Cosmos Sports Centre and several local community leaders.
Those present during the visit included President of Majlis-e-Islah Wa Tanzeem and former JD(S) leader Inayathullah Shabandri, Vice President of Tanzeem Atiqur Rahman Muniri, General Secretary Abdul Raqeeb MJ, President of Cosmos Sports Centre Ismail Anjum, Managing Director of Mohtisham Complexes S. M. Arshad, former president of the Bhatkal Muslim Youth Federation Imtiyaz Udyawar, among others.
Addressing players and organisers, Khader extended his best wishes to the participating teams and urged the players to uphold the spirit of sportsmanship. He said such tournaments help promote unity and brotherhood among the youth.
The cricket tournament began on November 21 and will conclude with the final match on December 21. It is being organised as part of the golden jubilee celebrations of the Cosmos Sports Centre.
Cosmos Sports Centre is one of the member clubs of the Bhatkal Muslim Youth Federation and is known for its active role in promoting sports in the town. Apart from sporting activities, the centre is also involved in various social and community initiatives, including efforts to promote education among students.
