Dedicated to sameerkumar282 ,my friend who helped me a lot to overcome inhibitions! Thank you.

"I am time which never waits...
I shall flow irrespective of physical barriers.
I reveal all that is a mystery...
Explore with me and utilise me well...
For I am the master and I bow to none."

-Elegiac_Damsel

____________________

6th September

Sampurnaa's pov:

It is the day of the court hearing.

The good news is that I have a monthly local train pass and the bad news is that I have no money to spend even on any other public transport this month. I cannot even afford fuel expenses for my scooty. I have vowed to not ask for money from Maa-Baba or even Dada-Boudi.
From the moment I got my own job, I vowed to achieve financial independence. Being a mere studio correspondent, my salary was meagre. This month onwards, my salary is going to be doubled though.

The reason for my promotion is of course Sridha's case!

Anyways! The hearing was scheduled to be at 11.00 am. I left home at 8.30 because I had to walk to the station. I did not inform anyone at home.
The tracks were still waterlogged and the train took more than a usual hour to reach the station. I walked from the station again to the court.

Fortunately, I had chosen to wear flats today!

I reached the court by 10.45 am.
I was out of breath by the time I reached. I had refrained from wearing my formals with blazer since I had to walk. I had just worn a shirt with semi-formal trousers.

I entered the courtroom where everyone was already seated.

The woman from Palghar was sitting near the prosecutor's seat. She was old and nervous. I wonder what she has to do with the Sequiras anyways.

I went and took my seat near Sridha. Her parents were there but her brother had an examination to write. Her college mates and professor were also there.

At exactly 11, the bailiff entered followed by the judge. We stood up paying our respects.

The judge asked us to sit down. Mr. Sequira was brought in and made to stand in one of the witness boxes. The judge asked the prosecutor to begin with the session.

Indrayan got up and sought permission from the judge to call upon Mrs. Arpita Karune, the woman from Palghar.
She went up to the witness box quite nervously. She was fidgeting with the free end of her saree.
The questioning would be in Marathi as requested by the witness. A neutral interpreter had been arranged for by the court.

Once she was sworn in; the prosecutor began questioning:
"Mrs. Karune, would you tell the court about yourself and how you know the Sequiras?"

Indrayan knows how to speak Marathi??!!! Wow! That's amazing! I understand Marathi but my grammar while speaking can kill someone!

Anyways coming back to the case, the woman looked up and started speaking in Marathi. Once she was done, the interpreter gave us an overview of what she said for the benefit of those in the courtroom and also the judge.

She said, "I am a resident of Palghar. I live alone in the village. I was widowed at a young age. I don't have children. Ibrahim and Anya were little kids when I started working at their home in Mumbai. We both lived in a chawl in Ghatkopar but I worked as a domestic help in their home for two years after their mother expired. Their father was a good man. The two children grew up on their own since he would be out for work. They stayed with me the entire day. I was 17 then. Within two years, my husband expired and I returned to my village in Palghar with help from Ibrahim's father. Even long after I left the city, Ibrahim and Anya visited me at my village. They even got me new clothes each time they visited.
However, every time they visited me, one of the neighbourhood girls would go missing. I guessed that they have something to do with the mysterious disappearances. When I confronted Anya, she told me about their business that required new girls. I wasn't aware of this prostitution racket!
Around 25 years ago, Anya came to live with me for a year. She did not say anything but later, it became clear that she was pregnant. She gave birth to a boy and returned back to Mumbai soon after his birth. I tried asking her about the child and his father... But she did not tell me anything! Each time she visited me after that, I never saw the boy with her. I did not see Anya for about 2 years. Two days ago, I saw her near the village well. I am sure it was her!"

I am guessing from all that she said that Anya was the real name of Frieda.

Frieda had a son? Well that was news!

Indrayan nodded, acknowledging what the woman had to say and continued with the questions, "Anya refers to Ms. Frieda Sequira right?"

She nodded in response.
The rest of the questions asked were simply about her lifestyle there and if there was anyone she found acting funny and suspicious in or around her village.

The defendant was asked to question.

She had to take help from the interpreter.

She mostly enquired about Ms. Frieda's child and if anyone visited her during that period.

Once she was done questioning, Mrs. Arpita returned back to her seat.

The prosecutor began questioning Mr. Sequira, "Your sister, Anya is on the run! Do you know why? Was she married? Do you know anything about her son?"

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

Indrayan's pov:

Mr. Sequira was standing silently. He seemed to be lost somewhere deep in thought.
I repeated my question and this time he looked up at me; ready to answer, "She wasn't married! My sister was a woman of her free will. I used to go abroad very frequently when she conceived. I have no idea whose child it was. She gave birth to the boy and then his father took him away or she did something with the baby. I was never told much about her baby."

I was quite taken aback at his reply! How did he not know about his own sister?

Nevertheless I threw my next question at him, "Why do you think your sister is in Palghar?"

He thought for a few moments and then replied, "Maybe she went to bury traces of her sins!"

That grabbed everyone's attention and a hubbub broke out in the court. The judge demanded order and everyone complied after a few minutes.

Sampurnaa had her eyebrows raised visibly curious, the Palghar woman was silent and even the defendant appeared clueless.

I decided to use my next words wisely, "Mr. Sequira, from your words, it is perceptible that you know what her 'sins' are. Could you please elaborate?"

"Your honour! My sister was an individual. She has done several deeds I am not aware of! She used to spend a lot of time in Palghar when I would not be in town. I suspect that her child has something to do with her frequent visits there. I have nothing more to say regarding this since I don't know more!"

I decided to stop the questioning for now and said, "That's all for now yiur honour! I would like to continue the cross examination later."

The judge agreed and asked the defendant to continue.
I am guessing that she was a bit taken aback with the unexpected turn of events herself judging from the fact that she requested to question later.

I was asked to call the next witness.

"Your honour! I would like to call upon Dr. Shruti Krishnan to the witness box."

She is the doctor who had examined Sridha at Sampurnaa's residence.

The doctor was sworn in and I began questioning, "Doctor, you examined Ms. Sridha Ranjan at Ms. Roy's residence, am I right?"

"Yes I did."

"Tell the court what your deductions are from Sridha's condition back then.".

"The girl was raped repeatedly for quite a few days. She was in a vulnerable and traumatized state. Her private parts were bleeding and sore. She had bruises all over her body; near her wrists and ankles which indicated that her limbs were restrained. I found out traces of semen on her body that was sent for testing immediately afterwards. The samples matched with the DNA of quite a few men including the deceased Mr. Vijay Desai."

I thanked the doctor for answering the questions and returned back to my seat.

The defendant rose up from her seat since it was her turn to ask the questions.
Mrs. Vanita Prakash was an established lawyer who was really senior to me. She had thrice the experience that I had in number of years. I know for a fact that winning a case against her isn't a piece of cake. She has the ability to twist and turn the entire plot in her favour.

I can just wonder what she has in her mind.

The defendant stood in an intimidating stance, facing the doctor. The first question was a severe one, "Doctor, why do you believe that she was raped?"

The doctor did not know what to say!

She looked at me and then at Sampurnaa. I just indicated her to continue.

The doctor cleared her throat and then spoke, "Your honour! She had definitely been raped. She had traces of blood and semen in her private parts. It was quite clear from her condition then that there had been rough penetration as well."

The defendant nodded and asked, "Doctor, how do you doctors differentiate intercourse and rape? I mean you cannot know if the patient agreed to intercourse or not!"

Sampurnaa gasped. She was visibly pissed off! We both knew where this was heading to!
Sridha's eyes bulged out in shock while her mother held her head in her hands. The rest of the courtroom sat bewildered.

The doctor was shocked at that. She replied stuttering a bit, "The... Difference... Between normal intercourse and rape is generally understood from the way of penetration.... If...it...is...too rough and there are traces of more than one person's seed.... And obviously the physical condition of the patient is enough for us to know."

The defendant smiled and her next words sent chills down my spine, "Youngsters these days do several things to spice up their sex life. Group sex and rough penetration cannot prove that someone was raped! Rape is sexual interaction or sexual intercourse against someone's will.... How can you say that a patient has been raped just on the basis of her physical condition? How can it be proved that what happened in the room was against the girl's will?"

The doctor fell silent.

The defendant did not question further and simply returned back to her seat after acknowledging the judge.

The court went for a break of 30 minutes. I stayed rooted to my seat.

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

Sampurnaa's pov:

How can a woman accuse a young girl who has gone through so much of something like this?!

It was really painful to see Sridha's character being questioned! Sridha and her mother had broken down at the last question and had been taken out of the courtroom. I could see Indrayan seated as if he was in a trance.
I took a deep breath and went and stood next to him. He did not acknowledge my presence.
I kept my hand on his shoulder and shook him slightly.
He looked at me and I looked back. He shook his head and simply gestured me to sit next to him.
I sat down. We both were silent.

He finally decided to break the silence, "What are we going to do? She is maneuvering the story to her favour!"

I looked at him and I could sense the tension and stress radiating of him. I analyzed the situation on our hands and then replied to his question, "So long as we are on the right side of things, things will turn out to be in our favour. Call Sridha next!"

He looked at me unsure, "You want me to call Sridha? You know how sensitive all this will be to her! I don't even know what the defendant can ask next!"

"Trust me! Sridha needs to speak up now! I know it will be difficult for her but it is either now or never! Let her come up here and say to the world that what happened with her was sheer injustice!"
I looked straight into his eyes while saying all this.
He looked back. Anxiety was evident on both our faces.... Yet somewhere we both believed that hope was still alive!

.....

After the break, everyone returned back to the courtroom.
The session resumed and I told Sridha to be prepared. She had regained some colour on her face and was mentally prepping herself.

The judge asked the prosecutor to begin the cross examination.
Indrayan stood up. He buttoned his suit and went and took his place at the centre.
His eyes shone with a certain determination and his voice screamed panache, "Your honour! I would like to call upon Ms. Ranjan to the witness box for further questioning."

The judge looked sceptical but nevertheless he gave the green signal.

Sridha stood up a bit nervously and made her way to the witness box. She was sworn in and Indrayan began with his questions:

"Ms. Ranjan, after what the defendant said about the medical tests; what would you like to say in your defence?"

"I was taken against my will continuously. Your honour! I have no other proof that I had been raped other than my statement! I knew none of the men who violated me! Mr. Vijay Desai, the man who died during a tussle with me did rape me! Nothing that happened at Jannah was on my free will!"

She broke down right after she finished. Sridha's mother stood up and requested the judge through her eyes. A nod from him encouraged her to rush towards her daughter. It took her 10 minutes to stabilize Sridha.

Indrayan resumed his questioning, "Ms. Ranjan, what would you say about the brothel where you were held captive?"

Sridha shuddered visibly before answering the question, "Your honour! That place is a nightmare! Women screamed themselves hoarse at their own helplessness and agony... Yet there is no one who could help them! Ms. Frieda Sequira herself abused the girls if they did any mistake. Mr. Sequira refuses to admit that he himself invited several friends of his and other men to violate girls. I don't know why they are striving to defend Mr. Vijay Desai so desperately; however I can say fearlessly that I am a rape survivor! I simply crave justice! I don't know what gives a woman pleasure during intercourse... But I do know that rape is the worst nightmare that a woman can live in reality!"

The entire courtroom was stunned into silence. What surprised most of us was the fact that Sridha was standing strong and looking fearless. There wasn't a single tear in her eye!

She had conquered herself!

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

Indrayan's pov:

When Sampurnaa asked me to call Sridha to the witness box, I had hesitated. She was after all a young girl who had already gone through hell!
Now, I know why this unpredictable woman gave me such an impromptu suggestion!

Sridha's gaze met everyone's with a strength radiating of her.
I turned to look at Sampurnaa and she looked back at me.
We both smiled simultaneously at Sridha's unexpected outburst.

The people in the courtroom began talking, breaking the silence. The judge banged his gavel and everyone stopped speaking.

"That's all for now Your Honour! I would like to continue the questioning later if required." I said and walked back to my seat.

Someone forwarded me a glass of water. It was Sampurnaa! She had a composed look on her face but I knew otherwise.
She was definitely nervous; nervous because it was time for the unfeeling Defendant to begin questioning.

.....

Mrs. Vanita Prakash walked up to stand in front of Sridha.
Sridha looked at her straight into the eyes.

The defendant posed the first question, "Ms. Ranjan. Mr. Vijay Desai's death is a big question mark. He was found dead in his penthouse at Bandra Bandstand. You claim that he raped you at Jannah and that he died accidentally while you were trying to defend yourself. We have discovered his body at a totally different location... What would you say to that?"

Sridha smiled to all our surprise.
"A dead body cannot move on its own. Isn't it obvious that someone had moved him? I was in my senses when the accident happened! Hence I know and can say with surety that Mr. Vijay Desai was killed right in front of me!"

The defendant smiled sinisterly, "Your honour! I would like to continue questioning her later! With your permission, I would like to cross-examine Ms. Sampurnaa Roy instead."

I looked at Sampurnaa. Her expressions gave nothing away.
The judge permitted the defendant to question Sampurnaa first and she walked up to the witness box.

Once she had been sworn in, the defendant began questioning her, "Ms. Roy, you have accused around 5 men of molesting you. We have all heard the story from your point of view. I would like to call Mr. Anubhav Sooryavanshi to the witness box. He is one of those who you have accused of molestation."

The judge voiced his approval and the same man who had restrained Sampurnaa came up to stand in the witness box.
The defendant asked him to narrate all that had happened in the cursed room in Jannah that day.

The man began, "4 of my friends and I had come down from the USA. We know Mr. Sequira very well. We wanted to have some time off from work and Victor invited us to Jannah. We had paid to be with a new and inexperienced girl! That day, when we had entered the room, we had paid to be there... We did not violate a girl's space against her wishes."

I clenched my fists at his stark excuse. Sampurnaa had a calm and composed expression on her face.

The defendant turned to the judge with a triumphant look on her face.
"Your honour! The men who have been accused of rape have paid to be with the women! It is impractical to even consider this case. All the women here have baseless complaints of rape!"
She turned to Sampurnaa, "Ms. Roy, what would you say to this? Don't you think it was his right to do what he did, after all he paid for it!"

Sampurnaa took a deep breath and then commenced speaking, "Your honour! Does money hold more value than a woman's consent? I screamed myself hoarse in that room when 5 men tried to violate my personal space! My "No's" were resonating about in the room. They may have paid... But is my dignity that cheap, that I would sell it for a few bucks? Why would I sell it at all? I screamed 'No!' loudly and clearly... What they did was against my will irrespective of the fact that they paid."

Her voice was calm, contradictory to the mood that she was most certainly in.

The defendant would have questioned further, but the judge stopped her.
His authorative voice echoed about in the courtroom, "The cross-examination can continue on the next date. The court will resume on 17th September. The court is adjourned for the day!"

Everyone rose respectfully as the judge exited the room.

It was 2 pm.

Sampurnaa came out of the witness box and went to speak to Sridha. They hugged one another and I heard Sampurnaa say, "I am proud of you!"

I smiled at the two women who had not let go of their hopes.
They were epitomes of strength and beauty.
And this courtroom is blessed... To have had the oppurtunity to give them the justice they craved for.

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

"Sampurnaa!" I called out to the harried journalist who had just got off a call from her colleagues.
She turned back and greeted me with a smile.
She stopped walking and I caught up with her.

"How did you manage to keep your emotions under check?" I couldn't help but ask
She shook her head and then replied, "I kept my calm because that was the only option I had. What would screaming get anyway? And anyways I don't want the prosecutor to get pissed off with me yet again!"
She was referring to the last time that she had ended up bursting out in the courtroom.
That brought a smile on my face!

"Where are you headed to?" I asked her.
"I am going to BKC. Since the doctor has advised me rest, I have been asked to not go for on field reporting for a week. I am supposed to read the news today. And I am going to be late tonight since Chandraayan 2's landing is scheduled to be at 2 am on 7th September."

I nodded and after a brief conversation, we both went on our way.

While driving home, it struck me suddenly. Sampurnaa had not come with her vehicle! Even though she would never admit, I am aware that she is in a financially unstable state right now. How was she planning to travel?
Had she wanted an autorickshaw, she would have got one outside the court, but she walked past the stand straight towards the station.
I immediately took a U-turn and started driving towards the station.

After about 5 minutes, I spotted that stubborn woman walking  on the sidewalk. I immediately stopped the car and caught on with her. She was shocked to see me. She was already tired out!
Being out of the hospital barely two days ago, she had obviously not regained her strength!
I asked her to get in my car and told her that I would drop her at BKC. She tried to refuse but when I blackmailed her saying that I would inform her parents about her irresponsible act, she gave in.

I started driving.

The road was long and the destination would take a long time to reach.

This was just the beginning! I cannot let her stubbornness affect her health adversely!
Sampurnaa was visibly tired, but I knew that she would never miss the chance to report India's lunar space mission live!

That's the kind of reporter she is!

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

To be continued...

___________________________

A/N

Kind of a filler... But important at the same time. If there is anything that the readers have in mind, then they are most welcome to share their views, suggestions and advice.
Thank you for reading my story!

Cheers,
Shubhadittya