"Justice that love gives is surrender, justice that law gives is punishment. "

-Mahatma Gandhi

Sampurnaa's pov :

Maa woke me up in the morning today. She reminded me of the court proceedings and the time for the trial.
Since it was a Saturday, Dada and Boudi were at home with Maa and Baba.
I was the only one who had work.
I was planning on going to the office once to catch up on what I had missed during my stay at the brothel.
Dada wanted to drive me there by one firm glare from me and he shut himself up.
The hearing was scheduled to begin at 5 pm in the evening. We had opted for a private trial as the matter was sensitive.
I was about to leave home when Dada stopped me. He said, "Be careful. Don't lose your cool in the court or you might even be taken in police custody for misconduct in the judge's presence. "

I retorted gritting my teeth, "Dada!!! "

He laughed and then said finally while giving me a small hug, "All the best baby sis! I hope justice prevails! And yes, Indrayan and his parents are coming to dinner at home today. His parents are coming separately so once the hearing is over, please come home with him only. Your destination is the same after all."
I nodded and then after bidding a goodbye to everyone, processed towards my office.
I took a train from Chembur, changed at Kurla and then reached Bandra.

Everyone at the office welcomed me back. The girls who had been on my team presented me with a basket of chocolates.
Sigh! I don't even eat chocolate. I decided to take all of them for Sridha.

After a few hours of news reading, catching up and shooting a small footage for the weather forecast, I was done for the day.
It was 4.00pm when I stepped out of the office. I took a train from Bandra to reach Churchgate.
Sridha, her parents, her brother and a few of her friends and teachers were waiting outside. Indrayan had arrived too with his assistant, Zakir. I greeted them all, presented the chocolates to Sridha and then waited with them.
At around 4.45 we were allowed inside the courtroom. My heart was beating at a real quick rate. This was the first time I had entered the courtroom as a victim and a witness rather than a journalist.
This was an important case. It had so much in store. I occupied one of the front seats with Sridha's family members. Her mother was in an emotional state and her father seemed to be pretty nervous. I tried comforting them both and then waited with bated breath for the judge to arrive.
At exactly 5, the bailiff announced the Judge's arrival, "All rise! Honourable Justice Peter Cardiff is entering the court. He is presiding over the case State Vs. Mr. Victor Sequira + 2 others and State Vs. Mr. Victor Sequira+1"

We all rose as the judge entered. My heart was thumping against my ribcage as he entered and took his seat. Heaven knew what was awaiting us.
...........................

Indrayan's pov :

I woke up early in the morning. The first hearing of the case was today. I had been up till 1 at night altering files and going over the details while cross checking facts. The minister's son's death case was going to be merged with the case against the Sequiras since the victim was the same. Sampurnaa had lodged a complaint against the men who had tried to molest her and the other women at the brothel had filed rape cases too. Mr. Sequira's wives who had been forced into prostitution had filed a case against him and his sister.
The police had their hands full with the number of cases that were being lodged with them.

After waking up, I freshened up and wore the black suit which I wore only at the court.
I had breakfast with Maa and Dad. Maa was talking about Abhimanyu and Adrija and how happy they have been after marriage, indirectly sending me signals but I had practice enough to totally ignore them.
I decided to go to the office before I went to the court. I had to check all the evidence and even check the case files once again.
I was about to leave when Maa and Dad came and wished me luck for the case hearing. I took their blessings and then Maa told me, "Control your temper at court! I don't want you to sit at home with a suspension letter at home due to misconduct!"

I nodded and then she informed me about having dinner at Adrija's place tonight. She also asked me to take Sampurnaa with me while going there as we both were headed to the same place.
After bidding bye to them, I proceeded to drive to my office in Linking Road from my house at Pali Hill.
I went through all the files. My assistant, Zakir helped me arrange and organise the proofs that were to presented at the court today.

At around 3.45 pm, we both started for the High Court at Colaba.

At the court, when the judge entered, I stood up calmly as did the defendant lawyer. Behind me I could hear someone trembling and Sridha's mother had been crying silently for a long time.
I turned back after we had been asked to sit. Sridha's mother was embracing Sampurnaa and still crying. Her father was trembling in nervousness whereas Sridha was seated next to her friends who were holding her shoulders reassuringly. I looked at Sridha's brother who had a determined look on his face, yet his eyes were glossy. It was quite perceptible that no one in the family had ever imagined even in their worst nightmares that they would be in court one day for a rape case.
I looked at Sampurnaa once.
She had a composed look on her face yet she was biting her lips and playing with her hair. She was definitely nervous.
She looked up to look at me once. I could sense the hesitation in her so I nodded in alleviation. She blinked in response and then the judge ordered for the prosecutor i.e., me to give the opening statement.

I rose to my full height buttoning my suit. I put my 'advocate' face on and then began, "Your honour... "

..............................

Sampurnaa's pov :

The judge asked the prosecutor to begin by giving his opening statement. Indrayan rose from his seat, the lawyer in him coming out at once. He began in his deep and confident baritone, "Your honour! The case that we present in front of you is regarding my client, Ms. Sridha Ranjan. My client has accused Mr. Victor Sequira and his sister, Frieda of kidnapping her and then forcing her into prostitution. The accused had apparently employed someone to stalk Ms. Ranjan and then eventually have her kidnapped and shipped off to a brothel named Jannah in the red light area. She had been unconscious due to the effect of a sedative that had been injected. She had found herself locked in a room there when she gained consciousness.
Ms. Ranjan has accused Ms. Frieda Sequira of abusing her physically. She has pressed charges against the deceased Mr. Vijay Desai, Mr. Paul Isaac, Mr. Imad Qureshi, Mr. Jay Vamana, Mr. Victor Sequira and Mr. Janak Kar of rape, molestation and manhandling. Ms. Ranjan also admits that Mr. Vijay Desai was killed due to a knife wound that he inflicted during a physical struggle with her. She pleads not guilty of murder.
Your honour, the complainant i.e., my client has appealed to the High Court of Justice for her rapists to be sentenced. She also wants a clean chit since she's been accused of deliberate murder. Your honour, I have submitted the list of witnesses and proofs that will be presented to you beforehand as is the protocol of this court."

The justice nodded and asked the defendant to speak his opening lines while Indrayan returned back to his place.
The defendant from the other end was a shrewd woman named Mrs. Vanita Prakash.
She stood up confidently and then began speaking, "Your honour! My client , Mr. Rajguru Desai has pressed charges against Ms. Sridha Ranjan for murdering his son, Mr. Vijay Desai.
He further says that his son's body had been found in a severely injured state and not just with one knife wound as stated by Ms. Ranjan. Mr. Desai's body was found in his apartment in Peddar Road and not in a brothel. Moreover, Mr. Desai was not intoxicated or drunk. Ms. Ranjan's fingerprints were found at the apartment. The doctor's post mortem report states that he succumbed to several injuries inflicted on his body. The minister has appealed to the High Court of Justice with hopes that his son's name would be cleared and that a murderer would be convicted. As per Mr. Sequira's case is concerned, the minister who is Mr. Sequira's acquaintance has taken upon himself to prove that Mr. Sequira is innocent and that certain sex workers had been trying to defame him. I have also submitted all the facts, proofs and names of the witnesses."

I was taken aback at the minister's statement. He had totally presented wrong and vague facts. How can the doctor's post mortem report show all that?
My eyes immediately scanned Indrayan's expressions as I tried to figure out his reaction at such sudden turn of events but his face conceded nothing. He seemed totally unfazed.
Perhaps all this was common to all court proceedings.

The judge hit his gavel and demanded silence in the court as a hub bub had broken out right after the lawyers had given their opening statements.
The court fell silent again as the judge spoke, "Prosecutor may call complainant to the witness box and ask her questions relevant to the case."

Indrayan called Sridha to the witness box. She walked in a nervous and scared way glancing back at her parents and me once. I smiled at her urging her to go ahead.
Once she had been sworn in to speak the truth, the cross examination began.
...........................

Indrayan's pov :

I stood up to cross examine Sridha. Her hesitation and nervousness reflected on her face and posture. I walked towards the witness box facing her and asked my first question, "Ms. Ranjan, please tell the court about all that which had been happening to you a few days prior to your kidnapping. "

Sridha answered in a trembling voice. She revealed to the judge and the rest of the court how she had been followed and stalked for a few weeks. She told the court about the letters and the photographs that had been sent to her in college.

Once she was done speaking, I asked her my second question, "Ms. Ranjan, would you please care to tell the court what had happened from the time you were kidnapped till you were rescued by Ms. Sampurnaa Roy from the red light area?"

Sridha answered this question in bits and pieces as she dissolved into a puddle of tears while talking, as all the haunting memories and the trauma came back to her.
The judge was patient with her given her young age and vulnerable condition.
I was done after she had told the court about how she had been raped and manhandled. She told the judge about Vijay Desai's intoxicated state and how she had killed him accidentally while defending herself. She also told the court about her escape. The medical report from the doctor said that she had had sexual contact with at least 5 to 6 men. The DNA samples had matched the men who we had initially suspected after Sridha's testimony.

The judge then asked the defendant to cross question but she chose to question Sridha later.

Next up to the witness box was Sampurnaa. She walked with conviction conceding all her nerves.
She was sworn in and then I began cross examining her.
............................

Sampurnaa's pov :

Sridha had been brave enough to answer all that she had been asked while standing in the witness box. She had trembled, cried and even broken down... Yet she managed to tell the court the entire story in details.

Her mother was in a bad state after hearing her daughter narrate her horrifying experience while her father crying silent tears. Her brother had his gaze fixed on the judge and his fists were clenched. He was definitely trying hard to control his anger and emotions.

Next I was called to the witness box. I walked up and stood there and swore to speak the truth in the High Court of Justice.
Indrayan came and faced me and then began his cross-examination.

He addressed me professionally, "Ms. Roy, you are a reporter. How did you come across Ms. Ranjan at the red light area? Would you please tell his honour and the court, what was your role at the red light area that too late in the evening? "

I took a deep breath before replying to his question, "Your honour, I am a reporter. A studio correspondent. My team and I had been involved in an operation in which we were supposed to disguise as ordinary people and try to discover and unmask crimes, criminals or any fugitives in slums, highly populated areas and even the red light area. That day I was at the red light area disguised as a tourist. I came across Sridha in the lanes. Her face was covered behind a stole and the makeup that she had applied over her wounds had been washed away in the rain. She was walking cautiously and anyone could make out that she was injured badly. Her feet were bleeding and she was limping slightly. I followed her all the way to a Shiva temple where she broke down and started crying. I took her home with me and got her treated by the doctor. She was in a very vulnerable and broken condition and very much traumatized by what had happened with her."

Indrayan was about to question further when the judge interrupted with a sharp knock of his gavel. It was past 7, the court was supposed to close all proceedings for the day.

The judge announced before rising, "The court shall resume the hearing on Monday at 9 a.m. sharp. The prosecutor can continue his cross-examination followed by the defendant. The court is adjourned for the day! "

Everyone rose in order to show obeisance to the honourable judge.

Everyone dispersed gradually. Sridha's parents, friends and teachers bid me, Indrayan and Zakir goodbye before leaving. They said they would be on time on Monday.

I was about to leave when Indrayan stopped me. I looked at him quizzically and he sighed in a defeated manner before saying, "Did Abhi not ask you to go home with me?"

Home? I was trying to recollect when I remembered!
The dinner of course!

I nodded in affirmation. Indrayan asked me to follow him to his car.
He opened the door for me like a chivalrous gentleman and then got into the driver's seat himself.
He began driving from Churchgate towards Chembur in silence, both of us lost in our own thoughts about the hearing and the coming days.

......................................................................

To be continued...

---------------------------------------------------------

A/N

I don't know much about court proceedings or the high court's timings. This story is my imagination and innovation. The characters' names have been decided by me. I have not intended to hurt anyone's sentiments. The names used have not been inspired by anyone who I know in real life.
Any similarities the reader may find shall be purely coincidental.