Jawaharlal Nehru was the most outstanding leader of the twentieth century. A true patriot, a valiant freedom fighter, an outstanding statesman, he was the maker of modern India. The prominent role played by Nehru in the freedom movement, along with other great leaders, did not end with the attainment of freedom. As the first Prime Minister of the country he then threw himself into what he used to call “the adventure of building new India.” And in the new India Nehru wanted that women should not “occupy a secondary place in the world in relation to men.” He believed that real and rapid progress in India would only come when the womenfolk would get really moving and rid themselves of everything that suppressed them and kept them back. His objective had always been a society based on equal rights and opportunities. In this context, this paper attempts to examine Nehru’s role in getting the Hindu Code Bill passed for bringing about the empowerment of women in India.
