Hyderabad: Justice T Madhavi Devi of the Telangana high court on Saturday said that despite significant legal reforms over the past few decades, the implementation, awareness, and enforcement of laws concerning women remain major challenges.Speaking at a seminar ‘Working of 75 Years of the Indian Supreme Court – An Academic Revisit,’ organised by MSS Law College in Hyderabad, she said that while women’s rights are supported by constitutional provisions, statutory enactments, and judicial pronouncements, the ground realities still reflect significant gaps.“Female literacy as per the 2011 Census stands at 65.46%, compared to 82.14% among males. Female labour force participation in 2023 was around 25%. Even though the women’s reservation bill-2023 granted 33% reservation in Parliament and state assemblies, actual female representation is still below 15%,” Justice Madhavi pointed out. “While we’ve come a long way, much more needs to be done to end the legacy of inequity and ensure justice for half of humanity,” she said.Justice G Radha Rani, also speaking at the event, emphasised the Supreme Court’s pivotal role in upholding individual privacy, particularly through its landmark Aadhaar verdict. She also cited key judgments that upheld the rights of women, workers, children, and marginalised communities.Justice S Nanda highlighted the apex court’s significant rulings that enhanced transparency in elections. “The right of voters to know the criminal antecedents and asset details of candidates is a fundamental part of electoral integrity, and it was upheld by the Supreme Court,” she said.Other dignitaries at the seminar included Justice Nandikonda Narsing Rao of the Telangana high court, Justice Abhishek Reddy of the Patna High Court, and Professor V Balakista Reddy, chairman of the Telangana Higher Education Council.
