Jayna Kothari pens her thoughts about the reliance of our courts on astrology, horoscopes, and the Manusmriti for making observations that indirectly deny women’s equality & dignity in society.
Excerpt from the Article:
Recently, the Supreme Court stayed an order of the Allahabad High Court, which had directed the Astrology Department of Lucknow University to decide whether an alleged rape victim was ‘manglik’ or not by examining her horoscope. This was in a case of rape under the false promise of marriage.
The accused who sought bail claimed in his defence that the marriage could not take place because the girl was ‘manglik’ or bringing bad luck as per her horoscope and this was denied by the counsel for the complainant. Instead of deciding on bail, the high court directed the Head of the Astrology Department at Lucknow University to decide on the matter — whether the girl is manglik or not. And the parties were asked to produce their horoscopes to the Astrology Department for examination.