The Delhi High Court stated on Thursday that gender neutrality is the hallmark of fair justice delivery systems in a country and that crimes involving serious bodily injuries must be firmly dealt with irrespective of whether the perpetrator is a man or a woman.
“The hallmark of a fair and just justice delivery system is to remain gender-neutral while adjudicating cases of such nature as the present one. In case a woman causes such injuries, a special class cannot be created for her,” said Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma while dismissing an anticipatory bail plea of a woman accused of burning her husband with boiling water mixed with chilli powder.
Patriarchy Affects All
The court also observed that “Men who are victims of violence at the hands of their wives often face unique difficulties, including societal disbelief and the stigma associated with being perceived as a victim. Such stereotypes perpetuate the erroneous belief that men cannot suffer violence in domestic relationships.” The court also called out ‘stereotypes’ that produce the image of a man as strong and undesirable as a victim.
It is certainly true that gender-based violence majorly targets women both inside as well as outside their households. But the case in front of the Delhi High Court is an exception, under which a man becomes a victim of domestic abuse.
While many so-called ‘male rights activists’ take this as an opportunity to raise false alarms about males being unsafe inside a man’s world, many rational citizens also believe that this is a classical case of patriarchy. Patriarchy equally affects men, since it creates stereotypes about them as being physically strong and emotionally unavailable. A man falling victim to any form of violence is considered an attack on his masculine characteristics. This makes him difficult to assert himself amongst his peer males as well.