Thirty-six-year-old Dnyaneshwari Anjan, a practising advocate at the Ambajogai Sessions Court, had reportedly approached the police with a complaint about loudspeakers blaring from a nearby temple, as well as the constant disturbance from three flour mills installed near her home. Villagers, including the sarpanch (village head) however claim that she was a persistent (and often exaggerated complaint), sometimes even filing false complaints! Her claim that the persistent noise triggered migraines and caused her physical distress brought her violent retribution. Instead of any attempts at dialogue with her, detractors resorted to what, increasingly is seen, vigilante violence.

On the morning of April 19, 2025, Anjan was attacked by her village sarpanch and at least nine of his supporters. According to her account, they dragged her to a farm and formed a circle around her, beating her with wooden sticks and plastic pipes—including on her head—until she nearly lost consciousness. The photos of her severely bruised and battered back, which she later shared publicly, went viral on social media, igniting an outcry among civil society, and opposition leaders.

An attack orchestrated by power and patriarchy

This was not a spontaneous act of rage—it was a deliberate, orchestrated punishment for speaking up. Anjan revealed that prior to the attack, the sarpanch had visited her house and told her parents to “reprimand” her, as though her assertion of rights was a form of insubordination. An FIR was registered a full day after the assault, under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including sections for rioting (Section 191(2)), assault to outrage modesty (Section 74), unlawful assembly (Section 189), criminal intimidation (Section 351(2)), and voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous means (Section 118(2)). And yet, as of the last update, none of the accused had been arrested. The police at Yusuf Wadgaon station claimed that search teams had been formed, but the perpetrators remain at large—shielded, perhaps, by political proximity or the comfort of knowing that consequences are rarely swift for those who harm women.

Political firestorm, but no real action

Opposition leaders were quick to condemn the incident. Maharashtra Congress chief Harshvardhan Sapkal declared it a “proof” of the BJP-led government’s failure to ensure women’s safety, stating, “If a woman lawyer is not safe, what about ordinary citizens?” He added that the lawyer was taken to a farm and mercilessly beaten till she fell unconscious, demanding the arrest of the accused and accountability from Devendra Fadnavis, who also holds the home portfolio.

Amol Kolhe, NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) MP, called the incident a “blot on a progressive state like Maharashtra”, invoking the legacy of icons like Jijabai, Ahilyabai Holkar, and Savitribai Phule, and pointing to the collapsed law and order under the BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP alliance. As per Hindustan Times, he added, “Instead of working for the people, alliance leaders are busy fighting among themselves for power.”

Even as the outrage spread online, with photos of Anjan’s injuries making the rounds, the BJP led Maharashtra state government’s silence has been deafening. As public confidence in the state’s protection mechanisms erodes, what is left is the image of a woman lawyer—bruised, nearly broken—punished for doing what the law allows: filing a complaint.

A female advocate was brutally beaten by Sarpanch and his accomplice at Beed District of Maharashtra. Beed again news for wrong reasons#Beed #beednews #Maharashtra pic.twitter.com/QftUfGeCbR

— Tikam Shekhawat (@TikamShekhawat) April 18, 2025

From Beed to Delhi: A wider crisis of safety for women in law

What makes the Beed incident even more disturbing is that it is not isolated. Just days earlier, in Delhi, a woman Judicial Magistrate was subjected to a shocking episode of intimidation and abuse—this time within the confines of her own courtroom.

After convicting an accused in a cheque bounce case under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, Judicial Magistrate Shivangi Mangla recorded in her official court order that the accused and his lawyer hurled abuses, made death threats, and attempted to hurl an object at her. The convict told her, in open court, “Tu hai kya cheez… tu bahar mil, dekhte hain kaise zinda ghar jaati hai”—a direct threat to her life.

The lawyer, Atul Kumar, joined his client in pressuring the magistrate to resign and reverse her judgment. Judge Mangla noted that the harassment continued beyond the courtroom, including psychological pressure to quit her post. In her courageous response, she announced her intent to approach the National Commission for Women, and also issued a show cause notice to the lawyer, asking why criminal contempt proceedings should not be initiated against him.

Here was a woman judge, upholding the law of the land, being told she might not “make it home alive” for doing her job.

A systemic pattern of violence and intimidation

What connects Dnyaneshwari Anjan in Beed and Shivangi Mangla in Delhi is not just their profession—it’s the price they paid for exercising their legal rights and authority. In one case, a complaint. In another, a conviction. In both cases, the state’s promise of safety and institutional protection crumbled in the face of patriarchal rage and unchecked power.

It is not enough to call these “rare” or “shocking.” They are part of a wider pattern of systemic violence against women—especially those who step outside domestic spaces and challenge the authority of men in politics, religion, and even the courtroom.

What is at stake is the integrity of the legal system itself, the right to justice, and the belief that the rule of law can protect us.

Conclusion: When the protectors are left unprotected

The brutal assault on Dnyaneshwari Anjan and the threats against Judge Shivangi Mangla should not be seen as two separate news items—they are symptoms of the same disease. A society where women in legal professions are met with violence, abuse, and threats, simply for doing what the law entitles them to do, is a society teetering on the edge of lawlessness.

Where is the urgency in the state’s response? Where is the accountability from those in power? Notably, both the states where these incidents took place are being governed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government. When perpetrators feel empowered enough to attack lawyers and threaten magistrates, they are signalling something far more dangerous—that they believe the law is on their side, or at least will look the other way.

Related:

When Courts Fail Survivors: How patriarchy shapes justice in sexual offence against women cases

From Protectors to Perpetrators? Police assaulted women, Children, Christian priests in Odisha: Fact-finding report

Surviving Communal Wrath: Women who have defied the silence, demanded accountability from the state

The post Beed to Delhi: Lawyer beaten in Maharashtra, judge threatened in Delhi—what the path for justice means for women practioners in today’s India appeared first on SabrangIndia.

It is year 2023, and yet, women, who have to suffer through menstruation on a monthly basis, are scientifically prone to getting urinary incontinence, might be pregnant or breast-feeding, are still fighting to get equal access to washroom, which forms a very intricate part of living with dignity. In the report provided by the Bar and Bench, some of these women lawyers have been members of the Bar for more than 20 years. And through this time, they have been forced to “controlling” their water intake, “holding their pee for hours,” or resorting to make a quick dash in between matters to the houses of friends and colleagues who live closer to the court to use their toilets.

It is imperative to note here that around Rs. 39 crores have been spent on the construction of this new building complex, and yet there is still no place for women toilets. The women lawyers stated that they had been promised that there would be provided with all these facilities in the new construction of the building, and yet the reality was far away from it.

The age old battle to get access to washrooms

As stated by Bar and Bench, the agitation for building of toilets for women has been ongoing since the year 1990 or even before that. The women lawyers stated that initially the male members of the local Bar Association would also make representations to the Principal District Judge and the Madras HC Registrar on behalf of the women lawyers, urging for adequate infrastructure facilities for themselves and for the women lawyers.

However, after a representation made in open court to the then District Judge Dr P Murugan, and another one made before then Madras HC Acting Chief Justice T Raja, where those who had gone to make the request were forced to apologise for the agitations, failed to yield any result, the women were left to fend for themselves.

On January 26 this year, the women lawyers had even gone on a hunger strike, which they were forced to call off owing threats of “suspension and other consequences.” Pursuant to this, on March 8 this year, when the whole of India was indulging in putting up social media posts on International Women’s Day and the current government was busy glorifying the “women empowerment initiatives taken by them, these women lawyers broke away from the unisex Nilgiris Bar Association, and got registered as the Nilgiris Women Lawyers’ Association. The Association decided to continue their two-decade long agitation to demand for a women’s toilet, and a room where they can sit, eat lunch, or change in and out of their gowns.

Even after allotment, washrooms sealed

On February 17 Justices VM Velumani and J Sathyanarayana Prasad of the Madras High Court visited the new complex. Justice Velumani surveyed the entire building and spotted an empty room that she immediately asked to be allocated to the women lawyers for their exclusive use. The room also had an attached toilet. However, three days later, that room and the washroom were sealed with some of the lawyers’ belongings still inside.

As per the information provided by the Bar and Bench report, the said room was sealed off as the Principal District Judge said that it was the Records Room and was to be taken back. The judge had also provided that the said room had been sealed following a High Court order. When the women lawyers requested the judge to at least open washroom, he said that whatever we had to say, we must only say to the High Court.

Women lawyers moved the Supreme Court against sealing of washrooms in court complex

Seeing no way out, the women lawyers then had to approach the Supreme Court of India. On April 29, however, a Bench of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justice PS Narasimha disposed of their petition, taking note of the submission made by Senior Advocate Guru Krishnakumar on behalf of the Madras HC that necessary steps had been taken in the case. The Court gave liberty to the Association to approach the district judge or the Registrar General of the High Court for redressal of any subsisting grievances, as provided by the Bar and Bench.

The women lawyers then said that the day after the Supreme Court hearing, the district judge got two rooms meant for lawyers chambers painted and allocated it for the women. At the end of the corridor along the rooms are three cubicles, two with western commodes and another with an Indian toilet. The women were told they could use the Indian toilet while the other two toilet cubicles will be used by the general public. The two rooms, as per the women, are just about 2×10 square feet in area and the toilets are “so tiny” that one cannot walk in straight and come out without having to squeeze oneself, which is in violation of the norms provided by the Public Works Department, specifying that an average person requires at least 20 square feet worth of space to be able to comfortably sit and stand.

One of the women lawyers stated that “We are 60 women lawyers so as per the PWD norms, we need 1200 to 1300 square feet worth of space at least.  So, we are really confused now. We went to the Supreme Court but have been sent back to the High Court. Again we have to start from scratch. Today we are 60. Tomorrow we might become 100, then 120. Are we expected to run to the courts every year asking for larger space?”, as provided by the Bar and Bench.

Access to toilets – a basic right

While we read the story of women, who are being denied one of the most basic rights, it is important to note that on most days, the women lawyers begin work at the court at 10:30 am, and can go on till 6-7 pm. Having to deal with the lack of this basic amenity, which can also have a dire impact on their physical health, is no less than harassment. In a country where women already feel unsafe and face myriad number of hurdles while choosing the legal profession, which is male dominated in India, this denial of basic and fundamental rights of dignity is shameful.

As per the report by the Bar and Bench, the women had stated that a board bearing the Association’s title was installed above the two rooms they had been promised since the Supreme Court hearing. However, on May 22 this year, following an inspection by Madras High Court’s Justice N Satish Kumar, even that board was removed.

These women, who are themselves part of the law fraternity, have been fighting their own community since 25 years, and yet haven’t been able to get any justice. Is the judiciary does not care about the sufferings of the women in their own profession, why should the public trust them to care about their woes?

Notably, after the hearing, based on liberty to approach a district court for any grievances, the women lawyers made a representation before the new District Judge, Abdul Khader. However, the meeting with the new judge has not led to any solution. The two rooms and the toilet they were previously offered along have now been locked again.

Related:

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Battling the Indian sports industry: the cries for justice by women

When Will Society Hold Men Accountable for Patriarchy

Manipur women stage protest at Jantar Mantar to end violence in state

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