Keywords
Symbolic Legislation
Structural Silencing
Vishaka Guidelines
Anti-Rape Legislation
POSH Act
How to Cite
Abstract
Though India opted for robust laws on gender equality, the trajectory of the legislative laws in post-independent India shows the existence of a critical paradox: the proliferation of protective laws along with the increase in violence against women. Employing a socio-legal approach, this paper analyses the Indian state's transition from legislative silence to active enactment, focusing on the POSH Act (2013) and Anti-Rape legislation thus the paper traces the evolution of the laws, aiming to provide gender justice- from Vishaka guidelines (1997) to the Criminal Law (Amendment) Acts of 2013 and 2018- through the lens of ‘Symbolic Legislation’. Through a critical analysis of the POSH Act (2013) and the recent Anti-Rape amendments, this paper argues that the Indian state resorts to retributive measures as a ‘sedative’ to combat public outrage, while remaining deficient in tackling structural implementation deficits. Furthermore, the 2024 Justice Hema Committee report shows the prevalence of the ‘structural silencing’ mechanism, which neutralises legal protections through informal power dynamics. Thus, this research paper argues that without substantive institutional reform, India’s gender justice laws remain ‘symbolic legislation’, as substantive reform at the ground level would ensure substantive instrumental justice.
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