India, Sept. 14 -- When the Constitution of India was drafted, its treatment of women was remarkably progressive for its time. It guaranteed equality before the law, prohibited discrimination on the ground of sex, ensured equality of opportunity in public employment and, through Articles 325 and 326, established a common electoral roll and adult suffrage without excluding women.

Unlike several countries, including those in the West, Indian women did not have to wage a separate struggle for the right to vote. It was theirs from the birth of the Republic.

The principle was clear: a woman was not a lesser citizen. Any discrimination against her on the ground of sex could invite constitutional scrutiny and, where specific laws were violate...