Ex-CJI UU Lalit highlights "Sita Maiyas" (virtuous women) and "Surpanakhas" (deceptive figures) to address false cases against men, advocating protections without compromising women's rights.
Labels administration as India's "most neglected sphere," pushes for police reforms, better evidence handling, and shielding undertrials from prosecutorial fatigue at Ekam Nyaay Conference.
Ahead of November 19 observance, praises initiatives like Ekam Nyaay for spotlighting shattered families, urging a nuanced legal framework for gender equity.
In Society, There Are Both Sita Maiyas and Surpanakhas: Ex-CJI UU Lalit
Former Chief Justice UU Lalit invokes Ramayana archetypes to spotlight false accusations against men, urging safeguards for innocents without diluting women's protections in a call for balanced justice on the eve of International Men's Day.
Summary
Former Chief Justice of India (CJI) Uday Umesh Lalit delivered a poignant keynote on November 16, 2025, at the Ekam Nyaay Conference,"Shaping an Equal and Just Bharat", held at the Constitution Club of India, emphasizing the need to address men's issues without undermining women's rights. Drawing from the Ramayana, Justice Lalit remarked, "There are Sita Maiyas but there are Surpanakhas as well in the society," symbolizing virtuous women like Goddess Sita alongside manipulative figures like the demoness Surpanakha, to highlight the existence of false allegations that ensnare innocent men in protracted legal battles. Speaking ahead of International Men's Day on November 19, he stressed that discussions on men's challenges are essential for a "fair and well-rounded legal system," not an assault on gender justice.
Justice Lalit, who released the Ekam Nyaay Foundation's Annual Report alongside former Bombay High Court Judge Sadhana Jadhav, decried the "most neglected sphere" of criminal justice administration in India, pointing to dismal conviction rates and the fatigue inflicted on undertrials presumed innocent until proven guilty. He advocated separating investigative police wings from law-and-order duties to curb biases, and cautioned against unsigned witness statements under Section 161 CrPC that often unravel in trials, leaving "innocent rabbits" exhausted by endless chases. "I would not like my daughters to live in an environment where there is even the slightest chance of laws being misused," he added, framing equity as a dual shield for all genders.
The conference, organized by the Ekam Nyaay Foundation founded by filmmaker Deepika Narayan Bhardwaj, who shared stories of families "shattered by false accusations", underscored the human cost of legal overreach, with Lalit praising such platforms as "need of the hour" for galvanizing reforms. His words resonate amid rising debates on gender-neutral laws, echoing his post-retirement commentaries on decolonizing India's criminal codes while preserving victim safeguards.
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