Sisterhood In Legal Profession Important For Women Lawyers : Justice BV Nagarathna

Justice BV Nagarathna remarked that it's very important to foster sisterhood in the legal profession to navigate a system that may not always be welcoming.  She said that men often navigate the system with ease because it is inherently male-centric and similar to them. In such cases, generation after generation, women have to make space, succeed and leave behind a legacy for the other women to follow. 

"The legal profession can be intensely competitive, but the most enduring progress has come when women refused isolation and chose solidarity over scarcity. For generations, men have benefited from social networks of familiarity, recommendation and professional sponsorship. There is, in fact, almost a kind of brotherhood, an exclusive male club which lies in this inherent ease of belonging, and the confidence to move within the system with which they move in the system in which they almost naturally fit in. But for women, they have entered the profession without such a network and with ease in most cases. That is why sisterhood in the profession is important."

Speaking at the memoir launch of Senior Advocate Indira Jaising's book 'Constitution Is My Home', Justice Nagarathna further added that sisterhood in the legal profession is not merely a slogan but a "conscious intellectual and professional commitment" in ensuring that access doesn't end with individual achievement.

While extending wishes to Jaising for breaking barriers and allowing Courts to recognise issues of ordinary citizens, Justice Nagarathna emphasised that when women succeed, they also shape the institutions for the better. 

"Women are equal claimants to this nation's intellectual and institutional legacy. As we continue the discussion on inclusion, equality, and justice, let us also choose our words carefully. Women are not newcomers; they have always been there. They are citizens equally, contributors, and thinkers."

She stated that when Jaising entered the legal profession, it was deeply male-centric, and she had to make space which allowed other women to enter with relatively better conditions. For instance, she recalled, Jaising had filed a petition for creche facilities in the Supreme Court premises. 

Justice Nagarathna further said that when such women rise, they also change the institutions through those who refuse to remain at the margins. She also praised that the kind of lawyering Jaising does is important because it deepens democracy by bringing issues of marginalised communities to the mainstream of constitutional and civic life rather than leaving them at the mercy of extra-legal systems.

She said: "What makes the journey of any woman in law truly extraordinary is not merely a professional success but the quite reshaping of institutions that her mere presence leads to. Let me say how the generations of women have thrived in the profession. The first generation of women in law had to prove they deserved to enter the courtrooms. The next had to prove they deserved to be heard, and the next had to prove they could be senior advocates. Then they had to prove they could argue the most important constitutional and commercial cases. With each successive generation, the burden becomes less onerous. From fighting for entry to demanding recognition to reclaiming leadership, as women, we ought to keep in mind that each generation carries forward not only its ambition but also the accumulated courage of the women who came before them."

Chief Justice of India Surya Kant also conveyed his message on the occasion, congratulating Jaising and also highlighting the importance of the Constitution.

Constitution Belongs Equally To All Citizens, Not A Privileged Few: CJI Surya Kant