In today's age, when women are being empowered in various sectors like defense, legal, aviation, and others, a shocking LinkedIn post by a user reveals the patriarchal mindset of someone who has been entrusted to render justice and mediate in delicate matters related to domestic violence, becoming a tool of harassment for a woman litigant.
A user named Ankur R Jahagirdar in a LinkedIn post narrated a distressing experience faced by a woman litigant in a Pune district court, where a judge, who was presiding over the mediation between an estranged husband and wife, allegedly made misogynistic remarks questioning the woman for not wearing a mangalsutra or a bindi.
"I can see that you are not wearing a mangalsutra or a bindi. If you don't behave like a married woman, why would your husband show any interest in you," the judge reportedly asked the woman litigant.
According to Ankur's post, the estranged couple had appeared before a judge for mediation of their domestic violence dispute.
In his post, Jahagirdar also shared another incident involving a maintenance dispute between a couple in which a sessions judge tried to persuade the woman litigant to become "flexible" by using demeaning words, which caused her to break down during mediation.
"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, if a man who earns well is looking to marry, he might even marry a maid who washes utensils in his house. Look how flexible men are. You should also show some flexibility. Don't be so rigid," the judge reportedly said.
Jahagirdar told Bar and Bench that the second story is of his own client and the matter is still pending.
"When the mediation happened between the parties back in 2023, one of the big reasons why it failed is because the mediator judge made those off-hand remarks and was extremely rude and dismissive about the woman's issues. The client even cried during the mediation because of the environment created by the judge," Bar and Bench quoted him as saying.
He stated that such incidents make litigants lose faith in mediation and make settlements harder, resulting in a piling burden on the justice system due to the mediator's fault.
