The Historic case of Rukhmabai

Rukhmabai was an Indian physician, who was born in 1864 in Bombay (now Mumbai), India. She was one of the first practicing women doctors in colonial India. The Rukhmabai case, which took place in 1884, was a landmark legal case in colonial India that raised issues of women’s rights and the status of women in society.

**The case sparked debates on the age of consent for marriage when Rakhmbai refused to obey.**

The case involved Rukhmabai’s refusal to live with her husband, Dadaji Bhikaji, whom she had been married to at the age of 11, in a practice known as “child marriage”. Later, when she was 19, her husband sent a notice demanding that she come and live with him. Rukhmabai refused to comply, citing her right to education and her desire to complete her medical studies in England. Her husband sued her for restitution of conjugal rights. Rukhmabai was supported by her mentor and the founding member of National Indian Association, Dr. Edith Pechey, and a number of prominent Indian reformers. The trial, which lasted over three years, became a cause célèbre in India, with many debates about women's rights, and child marriage.

The British judges initially ruled against Rukhmabai and ordered her to go and live with her husband. But due to the public pressure and support, the case was later resolved by the British government, and the then governor-general of India, Lord Dufferin, repealed the order. The case was a significant milestone in the Indian women's rights movement, as it raised awareness about the plight of women in colonial India and the need for legal reform to protect women's rights.