WOMEN’S RIGHT AND LEGAL PROTECTION FRAMEWORK

This paper examines the constitutional, institutional, and legislative architecture governing women’s rights and legal protection in India, situating gender justice within both domestic constitutional guarantees and international human rights commitments. It traces the evolution of equality jurisprudence through landmark judicial interventions, the establishment and expanding mandate of institutional mechanisms, and the development of a comprehensive statutory framework addressing violence, discrimination, workplace inequality, trafficking, and reproductive autonomy. While the legal regime reflects a clear normative shift from formal equality toward substantive, dignity centred protection, the study highlights a persistent disjunction between progressive law and lived reality, evidenced by low conviction rates, limited workforce participation, and uneven institutional enforcement. By analysing recent criminal law reforms and victim compensation mechanisms, the paper argues that meaningful gender justice requires not only robust legal design but also effective implementation, social transformation, and sustained institutional accountability. Ultimately, it positions women’s rights not as welfare concessions but as enforceable constitutional imperatives essential to democratic legitimacy, human dignity, and inclusive development in contemporary India.