Referring to the recent takedown of a television advertisement showing a same-sex couple partaking in the “Karva Chauth” festival, Supreme Court Justice DY Chandrachud, on Saturday, 30 October, pointed out that it was due to “public intolerance”.
In his address during the Nationwide Launch of Legal awareness Programmes by NALSA, in collaboration with the National Commission of Women, the Supreme Court judge, according to LiveLaw, said:
“Just two days ago, all of you would know, of this advertisement which a company was required to pull down. It was an advertisement (which) was for Karva Chauth of a same-sex couple. It had to be withdrawn on the ground of public intolerance!”
THE ADVERTISEMENT
The advertisement discussed by Justice Chandrachud is believed to be by Dabur, for its ‘Fem Crem’ bleach cream, which was pulled down after it stoked a controversy.
Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra even went on to issue a warning to Dabur India, saying, according to LiveLaw:
“I consider this a serious matter, more so, because such advertisements and clippings are made on the rituals of Hindu festivals only. They (the advertisement) showed lesbians celebrating Karva Chauth and seeing each other through sieve. In future, they will show two men taking “feras”. This is objectionable.”
Dabur finally took down the ad and apologised on their social media handles.
WHAT ELSE DID JUSTICE CHANDRACHUD SAY?
According to The Indian Express, Justice Chandrachud discussed the importance of ensuring legal awareness on the rights of women, and pointed out:
“Our Constitution is a transformative document that sought to remedy the structural inequalities rooted in patriarchy. It has become a powerful tool to secure material entitlements and provide public affirmations of dignity and equality of women.”
He also referred to the apex court’s recent decision to open doors for women to join the armed forces and said: “But how does a woman access the armed forces? How does she become a member of the armed forces? How does she become a judicial officer? So legal awareness has to be spread about these avenues for women to enter the workplace.”
‘TRUE FREEDOM FOR WOMEN IS TRULY INTERSECTIONAL’: JUSTICE CHANDRACHUD
Further, LiveLaw quoted Justice Chandrachud as stating that awareness is not a woman’s issue alone.
“Awareness about the right of women can be truly meaningful if the awareness is created among the younger generation of men in our society,” Justice Chandrachud said, observing that the answer lies in changing the mindset of both men, as well as women.
“The more we realise that the category of women encompasses various social, economic and political disadvantages, the more we will be able to cater to their individualised and actual needs. True freedom for women, in other words is truly intersectional.”Justice DY Chandrachud
(With inputs from LiveLaw and The Indian Express.)
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