Men Must Act Now. Why Gender Justice Just Women’s Job: CJI B.R. Gavai’s Wake-Up Call

CJI B.R. Gavai said gender Justice cannot be achieved by women alone; men must also take responsibility, share power and work in collaboration. He reminded that real progress comes when both genders rebuild institutions together — not through confrontation but cooperation.

NEW DELHI: Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai spoke about the real meaning of gender justice and how both men and women must work together to make equality a living reality. Speaking at the 30th Justice Sunanda Bhandare Memorial Lecture on the theme “Justice for all: Building a gender equal and inclusive India,” he said the journey toward gender equality will succeed only if men contribute equally.

According to CJI Gavai, gender justice cannot be achieved if men continue to hold all the power and expect women alone to fight for change. He emphasized that the real progress will come when men understand that sharing power is not losing control, but freeing society from its old chains.

He said:

“Achieving gender justice is not the responsibility of women alone. It requires an active reimagining of power by men, especially those who occupy positions of authority in our institutions, workplaces, and political systems. Real progress will come only when men recognize that sharing power is not an act of loss, but of liberation of society. The path to a gender equal India, therefore, lies not in confrontation, but in collaboration, where men and women together rebuild the moral and institutional architecture of equality envisioned by our Constitution.”

CJI Gavai explained how India’s journey toward equality has moved through three stages since independence. The first stage began in 1950 when the Constitution came into force. The second phase started around 1975 when the idea of gender equality went beyond legal rights and began to include dignity, autonomy, and social realities.

The third and current phase, he said, focuses on empowerment, protection, and inclusion of women, transgender, and queer individuals.

He noted:

“After 1975, the national discourse on gender equality began to evolve beyond questions of formal rights, turning instead towards the deeper idea of dignity as an inseparable component of equality. The conversation shifted from a mere legal parity to the recognition of the woman’s autonomy, bodily integrity and the social realities that shape their lived experiences.”

The Chief Justice also pointed out that laws like the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, the recognition of reproductive rights, and inclusion of transgender and queer rights are steps toward comprehensive protection and empowerment. However, he also accepted that the judiciary has made mistakes.

CJI Gavai mentioned the Mathura case, calling it an “embarrassing” moment in judicial history. In that case, two policemen accused of raping a tribal girl were acquitted because the court felt she had not fought back strongly.

He said:

“The judgment reflected a deeply regressive and patriarchal understanding of consent, effectively denying the social context of power, coercion and vulnerability in which sexual violence often occurs. In my view, this decision remains one of the most troubling moments in India’s constitutional and judicial history. And it could be called as a moment of institutional embarrassment, where the legal system failed to protect the dignity of the very person it was meant to safeguard.”

But this failure, he said, also sparked a people’s movement that reshaped gender justice in India. Public outrage and nationwide protests led by women’s groups, students and activists became the foundation of modern women’s rights campaigns.

He added:

“The vigilance of civil society, the persistence of women’s movements, and the courage of ordinary citizens have together kept the judiciary accountable to the constitutional promise of equality. Therefore, it is important to acknowledge that the progress in gender justice has never been the achievement of courts alone. The collective voice of the citizens has ensured that regressive precedents were questioned, debated and ultimately corrected through reform, reinterpretation or legislative intervention.”

In his concluding remarks, CJI Gavai said the journey toward equality is far from complete. Symbolic gestures are not enough — women must have a real and equal share in power, decision-making, and opportunities.

“The task before us is not merely to celebrate symbolic achievements or token representations but to ensure that women have a real and equal share in spaces of power, decision-making and opportunity.”

As a men’s-rights perspective, this message holds an even deeper meaning. Equality cannot exist if it becomes a one-sided narrative. True gender justice must include men’s participation, men’s empathy, and men’s accountability — not as villains or oppressors, but as equal partners in reform. Sharing power does not weaken men; it strengthens the fabric of justice itself.

Men must realise that fighting for fairness in family laws, in custody battles, and against misuse of legal provisions is not against women — it is for building a gender-neutral society where every human being is protected equally under the law.

Explanatory Table – Laws and Articles Mentioned

Law / Article / Case	Description	Relevance
Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005	Provides protection and civil remedies to women facing physical, emotional, or economic violence within family or relationships.	Cited by CJI Gavai as a key step in the third phase of gender-justice evolution.
Article 14 – Equality Before Law	Ensures every citizen is treated equally under the law.	Forms the constitutional foundation of gender equality.
Article 15 – Prohibition of Discrimination	Prohibits discrimination by the State on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex, or place of birth.	Underlines that gender-based inequality violates the Constitution.
Article 16 – Equal Opportunity in Public Employment	Guarantees equal access to public employment and prohibits gender-based bias.	Reflects gender parity in institutions and employment.
Article 21 – Right to Life and Personal Liberty	Includes the right to dignity, privacy, and bodily integrity.	Referred to while discussing reproductive and bodily rights of women.
Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2013	Strengthened rape and sexual-assault laws following the Nirbhaya case.	Symbol of reform born out of public activism and legal introspection.
Mathura Rape Case (1979)	Supreme Court acquitted two policemen accused of raping a young tribal girl, sparking nationwide protests.	Mentioned by CJI Gavai as an “institutional embarrassment” and turning point in gender-rights movement.

Event Summary

Category	Details
Event Title	30th Justice Sunanda Bhandare Memorial Lecture
Theme	Justice for all: Building a gender equal and inclusive India
Speaker	Chief Justice of India – B.R. Gavai
Date	12 November 2025
Bench / Counsels	Not applicable (Public lecture, not judicial hearing)
Key Case Mentioned	Mathura Rape Case (1979) – criticised as regressive and patriarchal
Key Message	Gender justice requires active participation of men, shared power, and a collaborative approach to equality
Focus Points	Power sharing, dignity, autonomy, institutional reform, accountability of judiciary, and inclusion of all genders
Closing Line Essence	Men and women must rebuild equality together — not through confrontation, but collaboration.

Key Takeaways

• Gender Justice is NOT Women’s Job Alone
  Finally, a sitting Chief Justice has said it clearly — men too must take responsibility for gender equality. It’s not a “feminist issue”; it’s a human issue. When laws and systems are fair to both genders, society becomes stronger.
• “Sharing Power is Liberation, Not Loss”
  CJI Gavai’s quote hits hard — men sharing power doesn’t mean surrendering it. It means ending the old system of blame and control. In a truly fair India, men and women must both have dignity and voice — not one dominating the other.
• True Equality Needs Collaboration, Not Confrontation
  The CJI rightly said that the future lies in cooperation. For decades, gender debates in India have been confrontational — men vs. women. It’s time to rebuild institutions that treat everyone equally, whether it’s in courts, workplaces, or families.
• Constitution Protects All Genders — Not Only Women
  Articles 14, 15 and 16 ensure equality for every citizen. Men also have the right to protection from discrimination — including bias in family courts, false 498A cases, and maintenance abuse. Equality cannot mean “justice for one, punishment for another.”
• “Institutional Embarrassment” Should Never Repeat
  By calling the Mathura case a national embarrassment, CJI Gavai reminded us that justice systems can fail victims — whether they’re women or men. Men too face institutional bias — false accusations, custodial torture, one-sided laws. These failures deserve the same outrage.
• Courts Alone Didn’t Achieve Gender Justice
  He admitted it — real reform came from people’s voices. Men’s rights activists, social reformers, and honest citizens must continue raising awareness. Only public pressure can make laws gender-neutral and fair.
• No More Symbolic Equality — Demand Real Parity
  CJI Gavai warned against “token” equality. Men’s rights activists echo this — stop celebrating symbolic wins while men continue to suffer in silence. Equality means shared responsibility, shared power, and shared accountability.
• Time for Men to Be Stakeholders, Not Spectators
  Men can’t stay silent while being blamed for systemic inequality. True progress demands male participation — from policy making to parenting, from social reform to law reform.
• Reproductive & Bodily Autonomy Must Apply Equally
  If bodily autonomy is a human right, it should apply to men too — whether in cases of paternity fraud, forced parenthood, or reproductive decisions. Equality is incomplete without equal bodily rights.
• “The Journey is Not Complete Yet”
  The CJI closed by saying the journey continues. As men’s rights advocates, we say — yes, and the next step must be gender-neutral laws, equal accountability, and balanced representation in every field.

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