Updated On: 07 Aug 2026
BENGALURU: Supreme Court Judge Justice B.V. Nagarathna will inaugurate the first South Zone Regional Conference on “Justice for Women” at the Karnataka Judicial Academy in Bengaluru on August 8.
The two-day conference is being jointly organised by the National Commission for Women (NCW), the High Court of Karnataka and the Karnataka Judicial Academy. It aims to deliberate on issues related to women’s access to justice, implementation of women-centric laws, mediation, workplace safety and gender-sensitive judicial practices.
The conference is part of the NCW’s nationwide initiative to organise regional conferences across different zones before culminating in a National Convention. Organisers said the objective is to review the implementation of laws concerning women, identify institutional challenges, share best practices and develop a coordinated national approach to ensuring effective access to justice for women. The Bengaluru event is the first in the series.
The inaugural session will be presided over by Justice Vibhu Bakhru, Chief Justice of the High Court of Karnataka and Patron-in-Chief of the Karnataka State Legal Services Authority, Karnataka Judicial Academy and Karnataka Mediation Centre. Justices Jayant Banerji and S.G. Pandit of the Karnataka High Court will attend as Guests of Honour, while NCW Chairperson Dr. Vijaya Rahatkar will address the gathering.
During the inaugural session, the organisers will release the digital edition of the handbook “We the Women of India” and the publication “Breaking the Silence – A Complete Guide to Domestic Violence and the Law.”
The conference will feature four technical sessions focusing on access to justice through legal aid, the rights of women accused, victim compensation and rehabilitation, implementation of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, mediation in matrimonial, child custody, partition, succession and domestic violence disputes, and women’s safety in public places, homes and the digital space, including implementation of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005.
According to the organisers, women judges of the Supreme Court, judges from High Courts across southern India, senior advocates, mediators, senior police officers, academicians and subject experts will participate as chairpersons, co-chairpersons and panellists during the deliberations.
The conference will conclude with a valedictory function on August 9, where Supreme Court Judge Justice V. Mohana will deliver the valedictory address. The session will be presided over by Justice Lisa Gill, Chief Justice of the High Court of Andhra Pradesh, with NCW Chairperson Dr. Vijaya Rahatkar attending as the Guest of Honour.
