SRINAGAR: Inside Srinagars Lower Court, a silent simmer is peaking up in the young female lawyers batterywho while rubbing shoulders with their male counterparts, are expressing displeasure over what they call a glaring sense of neglect, bias while discharging their duty.
These women in black who have made to Srinagars Lower Court after getting professional degrees from various top institutes say they arent being taken seriously in the advocacy arena.
Our problem is, says Bisma, a young lawyer, our male counterparts and clients dont think us capable to handle cases well. Female lawyers arent taken seriouslybesides, they arent being respected by their male colleagues. Gender wage gap has only grown in this profession.
As a female in this profession, says Sara, another budding lawyer, one faces monetary exploitation quite frequently. Money-wise, you work akin to labourerand in the end, you dont earn anything, but peanuts. At last, you are being handed over only Rs 50 note as a bus fare, which hurts your self- respect a lot! she laments.
There should be some specific fee for a case to maintain the decorum, even Bar (Lawyers Association) needs to take a step. Funds are coming, but they dont pay us, claims Rohi, another young advocate. If senior (advocate) takes Rs 80,000-100,000 for a casethen, at least, he should pay 20 percent to junior, who pleads case or represents him. An authority should be set up, so that if senior lawyers dont pay to juniors, they can complain it to authority concerned.
Another problem is, she says, Lower Court is full of agents who arent qualified. They roam in a lawyers uniform and plead cases on half rate, Rohi alleges.
Although female lawyers have come a long way elsewhere, but in Kashmir, says Humaira, girls are still being labelled as incompetent. And, she continues, there are some people who think that if judgement is passed in female advocates favour, it is based on sympathy not on facts and figures. What a gross statement to make!
But not everyone is painting picture black for these women in black.
Once in a while, says Kulsum, a senior lawyer at Lower Court, one might meet someone who would make her feel inferior based on her genderbut such cases are seen in every profession, and court is not an exception. You need to be patient and honest to survive in this male chauvinistic environment.
During internship, she says, female interns do face financial and problems related to public dealing quite repeatedly.
Supreme Court had passed an order in 2010 that new pass-outs (internees) should get Rs 5000 per month, which hasnt been implemented yet, says Masrat, a senior advocate. I believe, the stalement of the court order stems from the societal belief that Law as a profession isnt meant for girls. You know, people in Kashmir werent used to see a female lawyer in the court. They always had to say something negative about female lawyers. Maybe, this mindset does find an acceptance in the court, too.
Another senior advocate says that behind the glaring bias is the public perception linked with this profession that one has to deal with only criminals in courtroom. Thats why this profession isnt being considered good for girls. Certainly, people do have misconceptions about the profession, she says.
But perceptions aside, these female lawyers face something very disturbing they term a trust deficit in the male-dominated profession. Parties do not trust in your ability as a girl, says Kausar. But who can make them understand that being girls, we can handle 488 section cases in a much better way compared to our male colleagues. But we are not given opportunity. And even if the party hires you, sometimes they refuse to pay you in the end, she laments.
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