THE SUPREME Court has recently ruled, in a landmark judgement, that women will not be barred from bartending in the country. The Apex Court has dismissed a petition urging for imposing a ban on female bartenders. Now, women can serve and be served alcohol in India. In Delhi, the government had banned women from bartending to protect them from the bad and unruly behaviour of drunken men.

 

The Supreme Court ruling in favor of women bartenders did not come as a surprise. After all, women and men have been always considered equal before the law. There should not be any discrimination based on gender. The apex court also brought down the age of bartending from the present 25 to 21 years for women bartenders. It sounds logical because the legal age for drinking is 21 in India. If the government allows them to drink after attaining the age of 21, bartending must be allowed to them also. They don’t need four additional years to learn the art of bartending, whether rum should be mixed with beer or not (Forgive me for my knowledge of drinks, I’ve just turned 21).

 

The petition, which was filed before the court against the concept of women bartenders, was considering the security of women at the bars with the dipsomaniac around. However, the reason seems to be flawed. Justice Sinha and Justice Bedi ruled the case in the favour of more than one lakh women bartenders. If a woman is insecure while serving drinks in a pub then she should even be unsecured while drinking in the pub.

 

The security of the women is up to the authorities of the pub and if a woman can drink in the pub or the bar she can work as bartenders as well. Women have shown on several occasions that that they are good enough to take care of themselves. The Indian Woman is aggressive and confident but has yet not forgotten her roots and cultures. Ask Bachendri Pal, the first Indian woman who climbed Mt. Everest, she would proudly say that if a man could do it why not her. 

 

The social repercussions of this ruling also have to be mused upon. Will a woman bartender be socially accepted in our society? Social acceptance of any new thing has become a matter of past. Indian society has grown tremendously in the past few decades. People have become more liberal and have got rid of their narrow-mindedness. Indian women are creating storm across the World with their intelligence. From running major global corporations, to cat walking at her best, they epitomizes success and attains it with dignity. 

 

It must be said that the Apex Court ruling has come as an encouraging gesture towards the empowerment of women in our country, a country where women have often been oppressed and subjected to cruelty since long. The society runs on two wheels (men and women) and both should be strong enough for a smooth ride. The Indian women have donned multiple roles and proved her worth in each and every sector.