Page 38 - VERITAS Vol.2 Issue 2

2. Do you think the Indian society even now views domestic vio-
lence and mistreatment of women to be natural or as part of the

society even if stringent laws have been imposed in the country?

The main reasons for domestic violence against women are

the patriarchal mindset of people, lack of education, dowry sys-

tem, traditional and cultural practices like Sati and Devadasi sys-

tems which once existed, financial dependency, insensitivity of law

enforcement agencies, etc. It is true that different communities in
India, once and for long, had a notion that women were inferior to,

and they should obey, men. But, at present, Indian society at large

does not treat violence against women to be natural or part of the

society. Still, there are men and certain communities and groups

who retain the same patriarchal mindset and gender-based authori-
ty and treat or believe men have the right to rule or overpower wom-

en. It is a paradox that despite constitutional provisions and laws to

protect women from gender discrimination and violence, the cases

of gender discrimination and violence against women increase day

by day. It is not the lack of law or punishment that matters, but the

mindset of men, which could be changed only by education, sensi-

tization, and spreading awareness.

3. Is the Indian judiciary slow? In situations where other nations
would have given stringent punishments, why is the Indian legal

system taking too much time? Isn’t it a reason for people losing

trust in it?

It is not correct to say that the Indian judiciary is slow in dis-

posing of cases. The judges in India strive hard to expedite trials
of each individual case, but the huge pendency of cases in courts

makes their efforts insignificant. The reasons for piling up cases

and delay in disposal have already been discussed in response to

the first question. It is true that people will lose faith in the system

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Veritas Volume: 2, Issue: 2