CJI BR Gavai Highlights Girls’ Rights, Challenges Practice of Female Genital Mutilation in India

India’s Chief Justice, B.R. Gavai, on Saturday sounded a clarion call for protecting the nation’s girls from harmful traditional practices, including female genital mutilation (FGM), and the growing risks posed by technology. Speaking at a national conference titled “Safeguarding the Girl Child: Towards a Safer and Enabling Environment for Her in India,” the Chief Justice emphasized the ongoing denial of fundamental rights and basic necessities to many girls, despite constitutional guarantees.​

FGM Petition Pending Before Supreme Court

Justice Gavai took particular note of FGM, a practice still prevalent in some communities, especially among Dawoodi Bohra Muslims. A landmark Public Interest Litigation challenging the legality of FGM remains pending before a nine-judge Supreme Court Constitution Bench, which must weigh its status under religious freedom against fundamental rights to equality and dignity. This same Bench is also tasked with examining other discriminatory practices, such as temple entry for women and gender-based restrictions in religious spaces.​

Challenges in the Digital Age

Justice Gavai cautioned that while technological progress has empowered girls, it has also created new vulnerabilities. Threats such as online harassment, cyberbullying, digital stalking, misuse of personal data, and deepfake imagery have extended dangers beyond physical spaces into every digital screen. He called upon institutions, policymakers, and enforcement agencies to adapt to modern challenges and ensure technology becomes a tool for empowerment rather than exploitation.​

“Our responsibility now is to secure the future of girls in every classroom, workplace, and on every screen they encounter,” the Chief Justice said, urging greater public awareness, effective law enforcement, and ethical governance in the digital realm.​

Justice Nagarathna: True Equality Demands True Freedom

Joining the conversation, Supreme Court Justice B.V. Nagarathna stressed that equality for India’s girls begins with true freedom—where every young woman can aspire and achieve alongside her male peers, without discrimination or constraints. She underlined that only through social support and equal access to opportunities can the nation’s daughters realize their dreams.​

Looking Forward

As India’s highest court prepares to address far-reaching questions on traditional and digital threats to girls’ rights, Chief Justice Gavai’s remarks serve as a reminder that the nation’s advancement rests on dignity, security, and equality for its daughters—inside homes, classrooms, and in the rapidly evolving online world.