CJI BR Gavai News: Chief Justice B.R. Gavai said on Saturday that despite constitutional guarantees, many girls in the country are still being deprived of their fundamental rights and basic needs of survival. He also said that even today the daughters of the country are becoming victims of harmful and inhumane practices like female genital mutilation (FGM).

The special thing is that a PIL challenging the legality of FGM (Female Genital Mutilation) prevalent in the Dawoodi Bohra Muslim community is pending in the Supreme Court. The decision on this has to be taken by the nine-judge Constitution bench of the Supreme Court, which is also currently considering the legality of the discriminatory practices to the Sabarimala temple, the Agyari of the Parsi community, and the entry of women into mosques.

CJI Gavai was speaking at an event on the topic ‘Safety of the girl child: Towards a safe and enabling environment for them in India’.

What did the CJI say?

CJI Gavai said that while technological progress has given new powers to girls, it has also created new challenges and vulnerabilities. Now the dangers are not limited to streets or homes only, but they have spread to the digital world. Girls are now facing problems like online harassment, cyberbullying, digital stalking, misuse of data and deepfake imagery.

He appealed to institutions, policy makers and enforcement agencies to understand these new challenges and make technology a means of liberation, not exploitation. CJI Gavai said, “Protecting the girl child today means securing their future in the classroom, at the workplace and on every screen.”