In a progressive move toward promoting inclusivity and fairness within the judicial system, the Allahabad High Court’s Committee for Sensitization of Family Court Matters conducted a two-day workshop on gender sensitization on April 26 and 27 at the Judicial Training and Research Institute, Lucknow.
The workshop brought together judicial officers from family courts across 13 districts including Agra, Aligarh, Etah, Firozabad, and Mathura. It was designed to raise awareness about gender stereotypes, explore how unconscious biases can affect judicial outcomes, and encourage judges to adopt a more gender-sensitive lens in both professional and personal spheres.
The event was inaugurated by Justice Sangeeta Chandra, Chairperson of the Committee, and Justice Om Prakash Shukla, who also delivered the keynote address. Justice Shukla emphasized the impact of societal constructs and gender norms on judicial thinking and encouraged participants to stay alert to such influences in order to uphold principles of equality and fairness.
The technical sessions were led by academics and experts including Prof. Sumita Parmar, Dr. Archana Singh, and representatives from the gender justice NGO Saajhi Duniya. These sessions tackled core themes such as cultural conditioning, the role of language in reinforcing gender roles, and the significance of moving beyond binary perspectives.
Professor Roop Rekha Verma, former Vice Chancellor of Lucknow University, highlighted deep-rooted gender disparities and asserted that biological differences should never justify unequal rights or responsibilities. She called for a broader and more inclusive understanding of gender justice.
An interactive ice-breaking session prompted self-reflection among judges about their own environments and biases. The workshop concluded with a powerful address by Justice Sangeeta Chandra, who referred to the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling in Aparna Bhat v. State of Madhya Pradesh, stressing the need to eradicate unconscious stereotypes from judicial reasoning.
Justice Chandra emphasized that fair adjudication demands not only legal knowledge but also introspection and awareness of internalized biases. The workshop ended with a collective call for embedding gender sensitivity into everyday judicial conduct.
