Ruby Malik Is A Girl From The Slums Who Has Now Become A Judge In Jharkhand. This Is Her Inspiring Story
Like in everything else in our country, there is a huge gender disparity in the top courts of India. The number of male judges far exceeds the number of female judges. In Supreme Court, only 7% of judges are women; in High Court the number is slightly higher at 11%. Even in the lower courts, comprising district and state courts across the country, only 27% positions are occupied by women. But Jharkhand, in its own capacity have been trying to change that. In 2017, seven out of 10 top positions in Jharkhand’s subordinate judiciary were occupied by women. And now, we have Ruby from the same state, who, with her immense dedication and perseverance has secured 52nd rank in the Civil Judge Junior Examination of Jharkhand.
It is not easy in our patriarchal society for a woman to reach her full potential. A woman is expected to be domesticated and a nurturer. She is expected to marry, make children and cook while the men are expected to go out and earn a living. These stereotypical gender roles are used by those around us to constantly pull us down as we try harder and work longer for the same things that men have fall into their lap.
But for Ruby, the struggle was further amplified by her family’s infirm financial condition. A small house Ruby’s family called home was bereft of even daily ration, with no certainty if they would even be able to afford dinner that night. She lost her father and her mother had several mouths to feed, single-handedly. “The biggest hurdle of my life was the unavailability of bread on a daily basis. After the father’s death, mother Jahida Begum took care of five siblings,” Ruby told ANI. She further added, “Despite the financial crisis, my mother and brother Mohammad Rafi supported and motivated me a lot.” added Ruby, who is MA in English.
From a very young age, Ruby had it tough. Her family’s business certainly wasn’t enough to make ends meet. Their business of purchasing cotton waste from industries and sells it after scrutiny simply didn’t pay the bills.
But Ruby has been dedicated to her goals and she didn’t let it demotivate her. She couldn’t make it to the Union Public Service Commission. Neither did she clear the Haryana Judicial Services examination in 2018.
To make things worse, on 27th April last year, a fire broke out in her slum but she stayed focussed on her exams. She studied on the footpath and appeared for it on 27th May. Now, she has cracked the Jharkhand Judicial Services Examination scoring the 52nd rank and has been selected as Civil Judge, Junior Division.
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It is commendable to see her undying motivation and how she fought against all odds for what she deserves and what she is capable of.
