Editing Bal Gangadhar Tilak (section)

===Social views against women===
Tilak was strongly opposed to liberal trends emerging in Pune such as women's rights and social reforms against untouchability.{{sfn|Jaffrelot|2005|p=177}}{{sfn|P.V. Rao|2008|pp=141–148}}{{sfn|Figueira|2002|p=129}} Tilak vehemently opposed the establishment of the first Native girls High school (now called [[Huzurpaga]]) in Pune in 1885 and its curriculum using his newspapers, the Mahratta and Kesari.{{sfn|P.V. Rao|2008|pp=141–148}}{{sfn|P.V. Rao|2007|p=307}}{{sfn|Omvedt|1974|pp=201–219}} Tilak was also opposed to intercaste marriage, particularly the match where an upper caste woman married a lower caste man.{{sfn|Omvedt|1974|pp=201–219}} In the case of [[Deshastha]]s, [[Chitpawan]]s and [[Karhade]]s, he encouraged these three [[Maharashtrian Brahmin]] groups to give up "caste exclusiveness" and intermarry.{{efn|As early as 1881, in a few articles Bal Gangadhar Tilak, the resolute thinker and the enfant terrible of Indian politics, wrote comprehensive discourses on the need for united front by the Chitpavans, Deshasthas and the Karhades. Invoking the urgent necessity of this remarkable Brahmans combination, Tilak urged sincerely that these three groups of Brahmans should give up caste exclusiveness by encouraging inter sub-caste marriages and community dining."{{sfn|Gokhale|2008|p=147}}}} Tilak officially opposed the age of consent bill which raised the age of marriage from ten to twelve for girls, however he was willing to sign a circular that increased age of marriage for girls to sixteen and twenty for boys.{{sfn|Cashman|1975|pp=52–54}}

Child bride [[Rukhmabai]] was married at the age of eleven but refused to go and live with her husband. The husband sued for restitution of conjugal rights, initially lost but appealed the decision. On 4 March 1887, Justice Farran, using interpretations of Hindu laws, ordered Rukhmabai to "''go live with her husband or face six months of imprisonment''". Tilak approved of this decision of the court and said that the court was following Hindu [[Dharmaśāstra]]s. Rukhmabai responded that she would rather face imprisonment than obey the verdict. Her marriage was later dissolved by Queen Victoria. Later, she went on to receive her [[Doctor of Medicine]] degree from the [[London School of Medicine for Women]].{{sfn|Forbes|1999|p=69}}{{sfn|Lahiri|2000|p=13}}{{sfn|Chandra|1996|pp=2937–2947}}{{sfn|Rappaport|2003|p=429}}

In 1890, when an eleven-year-old Phulamani Bai died while having sexual intercourse with her much older husband, the [[Parsi]] social reformer [[Behramji Malabari]] supported the [[Age of Consent Act, 1891]] to raise the age of a girl's eligibility for marriage. Tilak opposed the  Bill and said that the [[Parsis]] as well as the English had no jurisdiction over the (Hindu) religious matters. He blamed the girl for having "defective female organs" and questioned how the husband could be "persecuted diabolically for doing a harmless act". He called the girl one of those "dangerous freaks of nature".{{sfn|Figueira|2002|p=129}} Tilak did not have a progressive view when it came to gender relations. He did not believe that Hindu women should get a modern education. Rather, he had a more conservative view, believing that women were meant to be homemakers who had to subordinate themselves to the needs of their husbands and children.{{sfn|Guha|2011|p=112}} Tilak refused to sign a petition for the abolition of untouchability in 1918, two years before his death, although he had spoken against it earlier in a meeting.{{sfn|Jaffrelot|2005|p=177}} 

The [[Jyotirao Phule|Phules]] expanded their social reform efforts by establishing additional schools in Pune specifically for girls, Shudras, and Ati-Shudras (the backward castes and Dalits, respectively). This initiative, however, sparked outrage from some upper caste Indian nationalists, notably Bal Gangadhar Tilak. Tilak voiced disapproval of schools for girls and non-Brahmins, expressing concerns that such endeavors would lead to a "loss of nationality," as they equated adherence to caste rules with national identity. Consequently, the social pressure exerted on Jyotirao's father, Govindrao, compelled him to evict Jyotirao and Savitribai Phule from their home.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-01-03 |title=Savitribai Phule’s 194th birth anniversary: A look at the life of India’s first woman teacher |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-culture/savitribai-phule-birth-anniversary-9758276/ |access-date=2025-05-09 |website=The Indian Express |language=en}}</ref>