MEDIA REPRESENTATION AND GENDER NARRATIVES IN THE INDIAN LEGAL SYSTEM: ALIMONY LAWS AND THE ATUL SUBHASH SUICIDE CASE

Abstract

The mix of media and gender discourses and the Indian Legal system provides forms to the sense of justice in regard to matrimonial conflict in the minds of people. Section 125 of the CrPC and other related laws provide alimony so that there is the assurance of giving financial protection to women, especially. Nevertheless, their gender neutrality, potential misuse and socio-legal implications have been increasingly questioned in the recent past. This paper will make arguments on how media representation contributes in a conclusive way to building up the debates by upholding existing gendered binaries in society and thereby influencing the social sentiment. Through the Atul Subhash suicide case as a frame of reference, this paper critically analyzes how media framing exaggerates the stories of male victimization and legal imbalance at the cost of institutionalized gender imbalances.