A sensational murder case has India fascinated and there are hours of breathless television coverage and acres of print devoted to the accused. This is hardly unusual – real-life crime stories with glamorous characters and whispers of sexual misconduct are always riveting – except for the way the Indian media has been behaving.
The accused, a socialite high-flyer currently married to her alleged third husband, is being openly described as a femme fatale, a social climber, a debauched woman and a bad mother. The unbridled sexism, unrestrained prurience and utter lack of concern about defamation, libel or indeed, prejudicing the course of justice, says three unfortunate things about India. These are as follows: India’s media, like its economy, is vibrant but undisciplined. Both were inadequately reformed after liberalisation in the 1990s. And both alternately struggle with over and under-regulation.
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