Senior advocate Indira Jaising called the placement of a men’s toilet midway along the Supreme Court corridor “highly offensive to women,” criticising it as a leftover from a male-dominated era that ignores gender-sensitive design.
New Delhi: Senior advocate and prominent human rights lawyer Indira Jaising has sparked a discussion on social media by criticizing the central location of the men’s toilet in the Supreme Court of India.
She described its placement in the court corridor as “highly offensive to women” and urged the Chief Justice of India to address the issue.
Jaising argues that the current positioning of the men’s toilet reportedly situated midway along a main corridor reflects an outdated mindset from a time when the legal profession was predominantly male.
Jaising wrote, alongside a picture of herself,
“Oh my God! When will the men’s toilet be shifted from the centre of the corridor to the end of the corridors of the Supreme Court? Highly offensive to women. The Chief Justice of India to note,”
The image shows her in front of a sign reading “Gents Toilet for Advocates Only,” located within the Supreme Court premises. Dressed in a traditional white saree with a black waistcoat, typical courtroom attire for Indian lawyers, she leans against the wall, visibly frustrated.
Her post has elicited a variety of responses. One user commented,
“Completely agree except the offensive part. It is awkward for every gender, including men. But not offensive.”
In reply, the senior advocate stated,
“You may be right, but its location suggests it belongs to a time when women were not lawyers in large numbers. Times have changed, and so must the architecture.”
Another user questioned,
“Apart from everything, how is it offensive to women?”
Jaising responded with a firm assertion,
“It is offensive in a hugely public space. The toilet needs to be shifted to the end of the corridor.”
A third user expressed appreciation, stating,
“Best thing I saw today.”
So far, there has been no official comment from the Supreme Court administration regarding this issue. However, the conversation initiated by Indira Jaising may encourage judicial authorities to take a closer look at infrastructure and ensure it meets modern standards of equality and dignity.
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