- Former Supreme Court judge Markandey Katju apologised for a comment about women lawyers
- In a now-deleted Facebook post, he wrote women lawyers who winked at him in court received favourable orders
- The Supreme Court Women Lawyers Association condemned the remarks as misogynistic
Former Supreme Court judge Markandey Katju has apologised after his comment about women lawyers drew strong condemnation from the Supreme Court Women Lawyers Association (SCWLA).
In a now-deleted Facebook post, the ex-Press Council of India Chairperson said that women lawyers who "winked" at him in court received favourable orders.
Later, Mr Katju apologised on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter), saying the remarks were meant as a joke.
"I hereby apologise for posting on fb that lady lawyers who winked at me got favourable orders. It was said as a joke, and in fact, I deleted the post shortly after it was posted. However, it seems many lady lawyers took it seriously and felt hurt. So I apologise, as demanded by the Supreme Court Women Lawyers Association," he wrote.
The Supreme Court Women Lawyers Association described the remarks as misogynistic and harmful to the profession, as per Live Law. The body said the comments were offensive and undermined the "dignity, competence and integrity of women" in the legal fraternity.
The Association said it was particularly troubling that such remarks had come from a former judge of the Supreme Court, a position entrusted with upholding constitutional values. It said that "trivialising the hard work and merit of women lawyers through casual sexism" demeaned their contribution, eroded public confidence in the impartiality of the justice system and reinforced harmful stereotypes.
This was not the first time Mr Katju apologised for controversial statements. In 2013, he apologised for saying "90 per cent of Indians are fools."
He clarified at the time that his comments were made in a specific context to generate awareness and were not intended to hurt anyone. He acknowledged that his language may at times have been harsh and added that if his words had offended people, he was sorry.
