Patriarchy and Gender Based Violence in Vijay Tendulkar's Silence! The Court Is In Session

In society, when a woman is educated, independent, and lives her life outside of conventional norms and adheres to societal limitations, others in society will employ character assassination and harassment to attack her. Tendulkar masterfully depicted this truth in his play, Silence! The Court Is In Session, through a character named Leela Benare, represents a forward-thinking, ambitious, and independent woman. The play is a mirror reflecting the patriarchal attitudes prevalent in society, showcasing how these attitudes shape the lives of women. The courtroom acts as a critical microcosm of society, a place where justice is intended to be served but is instead used to display prejudice and discrimination.

This paper investigates how a patriarchal society incorporates character assassination to condemn women, which stems from cultural standards and gender biases. The research examines how patriarchal minds marginalise and oppress women. A very small percentage of women withstand criticism with the aid of family and friends. A significant number of people are broken in life and sacrifice their lives for the sake of society. Women's issues are a prominent topic in today's world, but there is no guarantee that similar problems will not arise in the future. It ends up with loss of self-confidence, social isolation, career setbacks, suicide and mental issues. This research highlights society's hypocrisy in victimising women rather than supporting them where women are typically denied agency, with their voices muffled by male power standards.

Keywords: Character assassination, Harassment, Patriarchal mind, social isolation.