The Hindu : Opinion / Letters to the Editor : Sotomayor saga

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Saturday, Aug 15, 2009
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Sotomayor saga

This refers to the article “The Sotomayor saga and gender justice,” (Aug. 13). Sonia Maria Sotomayor has earned bipartisan acclaim as one of America’s finest legal brains. Hopefully, the American judicial experience will be an eye-opener to the Indian judiciary.

Thomas Edmunds,

Chennai

* * *

Justice Krishna Iyer’s assertive voice for democratic space for women in India is laudable. His forceful essay was an effective critique of the male-dominated social order. His sharp comment on qualified women judges being sidelined in India speaks volumes about society’s chauvinistic perceptions. The struggle for establishing a society that is fair and unbiased towards women should be actively pursued.

S.V. Venugopalan,

Chennai

* * *

No other country or society respects women as India. Justice Iyer could have avoided a reference to the much-revered Ramayana to plead his case for elevating women in our system. In no way is Justice Sotomayor’s elevation going to help the cause of deprived women. We are relatively a young and evolving democracy and our society cannot be compared with Europe or the U.S.

V. Rajagopalan,

Chennai

* * *

By becoming the first Hispanic to be chosen as a judge of the U.S. Supreme Court, Ms Sotomayor has indeed achieved something historic. That she was chosen on merit has made the achievement more worthy and commendable.

It is a pity that our country gives preference to the politics of gender over qualifications during elections. America has effectively bridged the gap among different races. India must certainly seek inspiration from such a country, while electing candidates to high public offices.

Abhinav Prabhakar,

Mangalore

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