The Story of Justice Anna Chandy: The First Female High Court Judge of India

Who Was Justice Anna Chandy

“There is no tool for development more effective than the empowerment of women”

Sharing across the story of one such celebrated woman in the Indian History, the one who not only plunged the women’s movement in India but also brought about a great difference in our legal system.

In the year of 1905, Justice Anna Chandy was born. She was popularly known as first female judge of the Indian high court. She was in fact, also one of the first female judges in the British Empire next to Emily Murphy.

There are certain women in our history who might not have heard about the word feminist or feminism and yet they deconstructed the stereotypical social structure of the society to prove themselves as equal to men in order to give their generation a society where they are not disregarded because of their gender.

Currently there are three sitting female judges out of the total 34 judges in the Indian courts and this figure clearly shows that how we are still struggling with gender issues that persist in our society even today. 

So, we can very well imagine the situation that existed in 20th century where every sector and every profession was male dominated.


How She Rose as a Public Figure

She was the founder and editor of ‘SHRIMATI’, a Malayali magazine that apportioned as a platform for the headway of women’s rights. She laid down greater emphasis on wage discrimination, widow remarriage and women’s liberty.

She was one of the champions of the Equal Rights and it was due to her unwavering fight for reservation for women in the government jobs that led to the abolition of the statute that prevented women from working in government jobs.

This also made her the first woman to fight for women’s reservation in the country.

In the status quo we often come across the popular feminist slogan called “My body, My choice”. Well this was something which Anna also propagated back in the 20th century. She believed in giving women the right over their own bodies and her stance on reproductive rights still reflect the reality of times we live in.

Anna once said “Many of our sisters- Malayalees have property rights, voting rights, employment and honors, financial independence. But how many have control over their own bodies? How many women have been condemned to different kinds of depths? Giving rise to feelings of inferiority because of the foolish idea that women’s body is an instrument for the pleasure of men?”

Foray Into Politics

Along with publishing a magazine, Anna was motivated to enter the field of politics in the year 1930. She chose to contest for the election of the representative body of the Travancore State. This proved to be a harder fight than those of the courtrooms which she was accustomed to.

The opponent made an attempt to condescend her character by spreading false and scandalous rumors about her. A major case of slander campaign against a woman who was just trying to contest in a free and fair manner – it became quite evident that she would lose the election.

But history couldn’t repeat itself once again! She contested again for the second time in 1932, and this time, her popularity had taken off. She emerged victorious in the respective assembly. One of the most groundbreaking and powerful quotes by Anna which is worth mentioning is-

“From the elaborate petition, it is clear that the plaintiff’s immediate demand is to ban all efforts by women to gain employment, on the grounds that they are a bunch of creatures created for the domestic pleasures of men, and that their lives outside the hallowed kitchen-temples will harm familial happiness.”


Struggles That She Had to Face

Going face-to-face and mingling with males had the potential to create an upheaval with respect to the ‘Indian Culture’ due to the norms set by our conservative and patriarchal society – a notion that stood in the way of a lot of women who dreamt of pursuing higher studies and thus restricting women within the confines of their home.

However, women like Ms. Chandy who refused to bow down to patriarchy and redefined the subject matter of the kind of lives that females deserved raised objections against the violation of fundamental rights of women. 

By demanding what was rightfully theirs, women like her defied prejudiced conventions that prevailed and chased their dreams.


Takeaways From This Amazing Personality 

Every woman must always remember that she is not demanding something unnatural or bizarre if she wants to be treated equally. 

Therefore, not a single female out there should succumb to the patriarchal mindset and cut her wings. One of the many ways to empower yourself is to fight for your rights and live the kind of life you want to.

Inspiring women like Ms Anna Chandy will remain relevant for all times to come. Even today, the world is not an easy place for women and we have to fight an unprecedented number of battles on a daily basis by virtue of our gender. 

All the girls out there should always keep their head high and never give up because they are meant to fly high.

Written by - Isha Singh

Edited - Sandhya R