While India celebrated International Women’s Day recently, the national conversation often highlighted stories of women breaking barriers in boardrooms, laboratories, courtrooms, and sports arenas. Yet, beyond the spotlight of achievement lies a quieter and more troubling reality unfolding in court corridors and police stations across the country. For thousands of women who approach the justice system after experiencing violence, the journey toward accountability is marked not by swift protection but by years of hearings, adjournments, and uncertainty, raising a difficult question: Can empowerment truly be celebrated if justice itself remains delayed?

Silent battles behind the applause

In the dimly lit corridors of courts across India, a woman waits. She first came seeking protection years ago, her voice trembling as she asked the State to stand beside her. Today, she is still here, clutching her case files, navigating endless adjournments, delayed investigations, and a justice system moving slower than the trauma it was meant to heal.