The case Dadaji Bhikaji vs Rukhmabai fought during colonial rule exposed the various aspects of women empowerment. Analyse (200 Words)
Refer - The Indian Express
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IAS Parliament 3 years
KEY POINTS
· The concept of restitution of conjugal rights faced its first legal test in 1885, 22-year-old Rukhmabai had very little except her fortitude to fight the battle.
· Recognising that a Hindu woman can choose to consummate her marriage when she was married not as an adult but as child.
· It also influenced the Hindu society and its way of life.
· Bal Gangadhar Tilak, one of Rukhmabai’s critics, blamed her education for her refusal to live with Dadaji.
· While the idea of an educated women being possibly imprisoned had captured the common imagination, Rukhmabai and her husband reached a settlement.
· With the support she had garnered, Rukhmabai went to London to study medicine and became India’s first woman medical practitioner.
· The case directly led to a change in law requiring a minimum age of marriage for women.
· It led to dropping of criminal consequences for refusing to comply with the court’s decree on restitution.
· In Rukhmabai’s case, the law on restitution of conjugal rights, importance of educationhave been upheld by the Supreme Court.
· The defence Rukhmabai made 136 years agoof female autonomy and the right to refuse still stands valid.
· The case over all sets an example of women empowerment during colonial rule.
Swapnali Vijay Gawande 3 years
IAS Parliament 3 years
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