The Social Life of Fake Cases: Law, Power, and Everyday Struggles in Muzaffarpur

Abstract

This paper examines the political economy of fake cases, revealing how legal grey zones are appropriated for strategic ends and how state institutions – police, lawyers, and judges mediate these legal contests. By situating Muzaffarpur’s case studies within broader discussions on lawfare and state capacity in South Asia, this research moves beyond simplistic narratives of a weak state. Instead, it demonstrates how law itself is continuously reshaped through everyday struggles, kinship obligations, and political entanglements, serving as both an instrument of domination and a site of resistance. Through the perspectives of plaintiffs, defendants, legal professionals, and political actors, this study sheds light on how legal systems in South Asia are not just state-imposed structures but living, contested arenas where power is continuously negotiated and reimagined.