Bar and Bench Impact: After Supreme Court hearing, Nilgiris women lawyers allotted a toilet and two rooms

Hours after the Supreme Court of India took cognisance of the lack of infrastructure facilities including a toilet for women lawyers in the new combined court complex in Tamil Nadu's Ooty, the concerned District Judge has allotted two rooms and a toilet for the exclusive use of the women lawyers.  

District Judge Abdul Khader handed over to the Women Lawyer's Association of Nilgiris (WLAN), keys to two adjacent rooms (initially meant to house lawyers' chambers) and one toilet in the adjoining corridor for their exclusive use.

The WLAN members said they accepted the rooms and the toilet with much "relief and gratitude to the Supreme Court."

"We have accepted the rooms and the toilet and are very grateful to the Supreme Court. We have taken the keys and kept a table and some chairs, and some of our belongings inside," one of the WLAN members told Bar & Bench.

Earlier today, the Supreme Court had referred to a Bar & Bench report on the plight of the women lawyers who have been fighting for a toilet in the court complex for nearly three decades.

This was during the hearing a plea by the WLAN alleging shrinkage of facilities for women in the new court complex

During the hearing, the Bench took into account the main demand of the women lawyers regarding the reduction in space of facilities allocated to them.

"Subsequent demands were made by certain women lawyers to have some basic facilities in the court complex and the main among them is the shrinking of space facilities allocated to them in new court complex. This was reflected in an online news report," the Court had noted in its order.

It had, therefore, sought a detailed report from the Registrar General of the Madras High Court on the toilet facilities provided for women lawyers in the new combined court complex building.

Subsequently, the District Judge allotted the two rooms and toilet.

Interestingly, the two rooms that were allotted at around 2.30 pm this afternoon, had been offered to them earlier for use as their waiting room on April 30. They had also been offered the use of a toilet cubicle, one of the three such cubicles at the end of the corridor along the lawyers' chambers.

The women lawyers had, however, expressed reservations about the size of the toilet and the lack of privacy around it. They had also told the then district judge that the two rooms were also inadequate to host 40 to 50 women lawyers who practice in the Nilgiris district court.

Later on May 22, the two rooms were locked without giving them any notice and the name board with the Association's name outside the two rooms were painted over. 

The toilet they have now been offered has two separate, private cubicles.

"We are extremely grateful to the Supreme Court. This is the first time that the women lawyers in Ooty have got an exclusive ladies' toilet and washroom that we won't need to share with the male lawyers, or, others. We have accepted the rooms and given our suggestions to the district judge to give us one more small room if possible, and to make the rooms a little more private by adding some aluminum fabrication etc.," the Association members said.

On June 7, the National Commission for Women had also taken note of the matter and written to the Madras High Court Registrar General to ensure the issue was addressed soon.