Smriti Mandhana-Palash Muchhal Cheating Rumours: Why Women Face Backlash Despite Not Being at Fault

Long before hashtags and burner accounts became the new courtroom, women have always been cast as convenient culprits in scandals they did not create. The latest example unfolded with the alleged cheating controversy involving singer Palash Muchhal and cricketer Smriti Mandhana. As whispers spread across social media, the spotlight shifted away from the accused man, landing instead on the women around him.

How Smriti Mandhana Became The Target Despite Not Being At Fault

Mandhana, a national sports icon who has maintained an impeccable public image, suddenly found herself at the receiving end of vile trolling, lazy moral policing, and unsolicited advice. She was asked to ‘choose better’, blamed for ‘dating a red flag’, and mocked for ‘not seeing the signs’. Her only crime: existing in proximity to a man accused of wrongdoing.

Equally telling was the response to the girl named Mary D’Costa, a choreographer, who first revealed the alleged cheating. Instead of being heard, she was ridiculed, interrogated, and digitally dissected. Her credibility was questioned with a ferocity reserved almost exclusively for women who dare to speak. Screenshots of her profile circulated. Strangers commented on her looks, her intentions, her ‘need for attention’. When a woman exposes a man’s alleged behaviour, the public doesn’t scrutinise the accused; it scrutinises her. This misogynistic pattern is not new. It is a well-established cultural reflex.

Don't miss: Did Palash Muchhal Cheat on Smriti Mandhana Before Their Wedding? Leaked Chats Spark Controversy

Proof #Smritimandhana got cheated
Someone on Insta posted a ss of Palash DMing her.

I found about this from a comment under a post related to the topic, but damnnn. pic.twitter.com/9bZdAuoAJM

— Okayishhhh🦧 (@kelabananaa) November 24, 2025

Examples of Women Celebrities Criticised for Scandals They Didn’t Create

Take Anushka Sharma, who has faced years of backlash for Virat Kohli’s cricket performance, trolled whenever he hits a rough patch, as if her existence affects his batting average. Samantha Ruth Prabhu was vilified after her divorce from Naga Chaitanya, subjected to character assassination while he was offered sympathy. Deepika Padukone is trolled every time new allegations about Ranbir Kapoor’s past resurface, despite being the one who was allegedly wronged. Katrina Kaif was mocked and moral-policed during rumours of Ranbir’s infidelity. Rhea Chakraborty endured one of the most vicious online witch-hunts, long before any formal investigation concluded. And Aishwarya Rai Bachchan still faces moral policing rooted in past decisions made by men with whom she was associated. Similarly, when Malaika Arora stepped out post-divorce, she endured a torrent of moral policing while her ex-partner walked away largely untouched by judgement.

Feminists are grilling palash muchhal ok but they never uttered a single word against Deepika Padukone when she was having multiple affairs while being committed to Ranveer Singh pic.twitter.com/D7IVlAysfL

— Tyler Burbun (@BurbunPitt) November 26, 2025

Even minor rumours trigger disproportionate scrutiny of women. Alia Bhatt trends whenever an old problematic video of Ranbir resurfaces, asked to ‘learn to choose better’.

Globally, the pattern is identical: Ariana Grande accused of ‘homewrecking’ while the men involved escape equivalent backlash; Hailey Bieber continuously vilified for a marriage she didn’t force anyone into; Bianca Censori mocked for Kanye West’s choices rather than her own.

Smriti must be ignoring palash for quite sometime he must've felt so unloved and alone that he went out of his way to be with other women. It's wrong to cheat but you can't say it's entirely his fault some blame is on smriti too. https://t.co/vHxpG7kjiU

— Mr Melancholy (@chakravartiiin) November 25, 2025

Why Accountability Remains Gendered in Digital Spaces

Why does this happen? Because misogyny online is no longer a glitch; it is the algorithm. Women are easier to sexualise, criticise, dehumanise, and moralise. Platforms profit from outrage, and outrage tends to affect women faster. Our society still instinctively believes that a woman should have ‘known better’, ‘chosen better’, or ‘behaved better’, even when she is entirely uninvolved.

Mandhana did nothing wrong. The whistleblower did nothing wrong. Yet both became collateral damage in a controversy sparked by the alleged actions of a man. It once again proves that women in public spaces are rarely seen as individuals; they are canvases onto which society projects its insecurities, anxieties, and thirst for scapegoats.

Palash muchhal was dating mandana from 2019
> loyal since 6 years
> always supported her in bad phase
> never chased her fame
> his net worth is already in crores
> never cheated her (fake news)

But she cancelled her marriage bcz she got lot of fame & brand value after winning… pic.twitter.com/7jalFXmi48

— 2beegha (@2beeghaa) November 26, 2025

Until accountability is no longer gendered, the story will repeat. A man errs, a woman pays, and the internet applauds, forgetting that every villain it manufactures is often just a woman standing nearby when a man sets a mess on fire.

Don't miss: Smriti Mandhana Bags ICC Women’s ODI Cricketer Of The Year Title Once Again

Image courtesy: Instagram

For more such stories, stay tuned to HerZindagi.