Indira Jaising

Early life

Jaising was born on 3 June 1940 in Mumbai to a Sindhi Hindu family. She attended St. Teresa's Convent High School, Santacruz, Mumbai, and the Bishop Cotton Girls' School, Bengaluru. She earned a Bachelor of Arts from Bangalore University. In 1962, she earned a Master of Laws from the University of Bombay.

In 1986, she became the first woman to be designated a Senior Advocate by the Bombay High Court. In 2009, Jaising became the first female Additional Solicitor General of India. From the beginning of her legal career, she has focused on the protection of human rights and the rights of women.

Fighting for women

Jaising argued several cases relating to discrimination against women, including Mary Roy's case, which led to the grant of equal inheritance rights for Syrian Christian women in Kerala, and the case of Rupan Deol Bajaj, the IAS officer who had successfully prosecuted KPS Gill for outraging her modesty. This was one of the first cases of sexual harassment that had been successfully prosecuted. Jaising also argued the case of Githa Hariharan, in which the Supreme Court decided that a mother is equally a natural guardian of a child as a father. Jaising also successfully challenged the discriminatory provisions of the Indian Divorce Act in the High Court of Kerala, thus enabling Christian women to get a divorce on the grounds of cruelty or desertion, a right that was denied to them. She has also represented Teesta Setalvad in a case where she was accused of embezzling money.

In 2015, Jaising argued the case for Priya Pillai in the Green Peace India case. In 2016, Indira Jaising challenged the procedure for designating senior advocates in the Supreme Court.

More recently, Indira Jaising wrote a column for The Indian Express, criticizing the manner in which the Indian Supreme Court rejected Nupur Sharma's plea for consolidation of FIRs in criminal cases filed against her for allegedly defaming Prophet Mohammed. In the article, Jaising said the Supreme Court's "remarks against Sharma are uncalled for, and can prejudice low courts."

Human rights and the environment

Jaising has represented the victims of the Bhopal tragedy in the Supreme Court of India in their claim for compensation against the Union Carbide Corporation. Jaising also represented Mumbai residents who were facing eviction. Jaising has been associated with several Peoples Commissions on Violence in Punjab to investigate the extrajudicial killings, disappearances, and mass cremations that took place during the period 1979 to 1990. The United Nations appointed Jaising to a fact-finding mission investigating the alleged murder, rape and torture by security forces against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar's Rakhine state.

Jaising has represented several environmental cases in the Supreme Court of India.

Lawyers Collective

In 1981, Jaising founded the Lawyers Collective with her husband Anand Grover. The organization is devoted to feminist and left-wing causes, especially the promotion of human rights. She later became the founder secretary of the Lawyers Collective, an organization that provides legal funding for the underprivileged sections of Indian society. She founded a monthly magazine called The Lawyers, in 1986, which focuses on social justice and women's issues in the context of Indian law. She has been involved in cases related to discrimination against women, the Muslim Personal Law, the rights of pavement dwellers and the homeless and the Bhopal gas tragedy. She has fought against child labor, for the economic rights of women, estranged wives and domestic violence cases. The NGO currently has had its license suspended for violating the FCRA norms.

Other

Jaising has attended several national and international conferences on women, representing her country at these events. Her NGO has been barred by the MHA (Ministry of Home Affairs) from receiving foreign funds. The NGO Lawyers' Collective has had their license suspended for violation of foreign funding norms. However, the Bombay High Court passed an order to defreeze NGO's domestic accounts; the case continues in the Supreme Court

She had a fellowship at the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies in London and has been a visiting Scholar at the Columbia University New York. She was a member of the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women. She was conferred with the Rotary Manav Seva Award in recognition of her services to the nation in fighting corruption and as a champion of the weaker sections of the society.

Jaising was given the Padma Shree by the President of India in 2005 for her service to the cause of public affairs. Her husband Anand Grover is a human rights lawyer and designated senior advocate of the Supreme Court. In 2018, she was ranked 20th on the list of 50 Greatest Leaders of the World by Fortune magazine.

References

References

1. https://fortune.com/ranking/worlds-greatest-leaders/2018/indira-jaising/
2. https://www.livemint.com/Politics/fUR7lHlQECNBY6a6vQ6R0J/Indira-Jaising-elected-to-UN-committee-on-women-discriminati.html
3. "Indira Jaising (India)". United Nations Human Rights - Office of the High Commissioner.
4. Mohan, Rohini. (2017-01-09). "Narendra Modi's Crackdown on Civil Society in India.". International New York Times.
5. "Indira Jaising".
6. Rajagopal, Krishnadas. (2018-03-03). "Supreme Court lawyer Indira Jaising in conversation with Krishnadas Rajagopal". The Hindu.
7. Manthan. "Triple Talaq – Indira Jaising".
8. (2022-09-01). "The landmark Mary Roy case in SC, which gave Syrian Christian women equal right to property".
9. Scroll Staff. (2017-06-05). "Watch: Rupan Deol Bajaj talks about the sexual harassment case she won against KPS Gill".
10. (July 12, 2015). "It's sad we needed the law to tell us that the mother's a natural guardian: Githa Hiraharan". [[Times of India]].
11. "Jaising Leads Protest Against Setalvad's 'Victimisation'". Outlook India.
12. "In the High Court of Delhi at New Delhi".
13. Krishnan, Murali. (25 July 2016). "Supreme Court v. Indira Jaising: Supreme Court admits no Rules for Senior Designation but process 'fair and transparent'". Bar & Bench.
14. (16 July 2022). "Supreme Court's refusal to club all FIRs against Nupur Sharma is bad in law".
15. (30 May 2017). "Indian rights lawyer to lead U.N. probe into Rohingya crackdown". Reuters.
16. (16 February 2024). "'Modi is supposed to represent all of us': human rights lawyer Indira Jaising". Financial Times.
17. "President of Human Rights Council appoints Members of Fact-finding Mission on Myanmar".
18. (1 June 2016). "Indira Jaising's NGO 'Lawyers Collective' suspended for 6 months". Hindustan Times.
19. PTI. (1 June 2016). "FCRA licence of Indira Jaising's NGO suspended for 6 months". The Economic Times.
20. (June 2016). "Indira Jaising's NGO loses licence". The Hindu.
21. (2 June 2016). "Indira Jaising's NGO barred by MHA from receiving foreign funds for 6 months".
22. (November 8, 2019). "MHA cancels FCRA licences of 1,300 NGOs". Economic Times.
23. PTI. (2016-12-07). "Home Ministry cancels licence of Indira Jaising's NGO". The Hindu.
24. "Defreeze accounts of Indira Jaisingh's NGO: HC". The Hindu.
25. (2013-11-21). "Indira Jaising, Additional Solicitor General to deliver first UN Public Lecture on 25 November in New Delhi".
26. (2014-12-15). "Anand Grover".
27. (2015). "Padma Awards". Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India.
28. Sharma, Padmakshi. (2023-09-13). "Manipur: Petitioners Tell Supreme Court That Lawyers Aren't Willing To Appear For Them Due To Threats".
29. (2018-04-19). "In a First an Indian Lawyer Makes It to Fortune's World's Greatest Leaders List: Indira Jaising Ranked 20 in the List on a Day She Faced Setback from SC".