"The court orders everyone to be silent and maintain the decorum of the court."
The judge asked the enraged public who began to shout profanities on Ravi. But what stunned everyone was his nonchalant posture and small smile gracing his face.Finally, after about a minute, everyone quieted down. The heartbeats of Ishan had raised tenfold but he held his breath and let it out after a few seconds. Rishab tapped his leg twice to assure him everything would go well.
"I request the prosecution to come forward and present their case."
Virat slowly rose from his chair and moved to the front of the court " Dear Lord, I'm appearing for the prosecution of Mr Ravindra Jadeja alias the Scarlet Hound. He has committed the killing of 23 humans over a period of 15 months across Mumbai and Pune including a 4-year-old girl. The accused has not only sent very gruesome packages to the police station but also publicly mocked the entire judicial system in front of the world. There are very compelling proofs to match him to the crimes and very reliable witnesses. I plead to this court to charge Mr Jadega according to sections 299 and 300 and give him the maximum punishment of the death penalty according to sections 302 and 304. Thank you, My lord."
"Thank you Mr Prosecuter. Now Defence, are you ready?"
Ishan nodded, "Yes M'lord, I would be appearing for the defence of Mr. Jadeja. Lord, this is a clear case of deceit and false accusation by the police. There are no concrete shreds of evidence against my client here. They have been so desperate to find a name for their ongoing problem, that is, defacing the entire department that they found my client and put the entire case under his name. The officers' incompetency is being unveiled here, M'lord! How can a very pious temple priest, that too father of a small 2-year-old girl, do such a heinous crime? No proof can lead him to be present at any of the crime scenes but the very cunning police have been very adamant in proving he is the culprit."
Shreyas was fuming at this point. Shubman couldn't even look up and Hardik stayed pretty numb. After all, he was impressed to see his friend being so eloquent and graceful in the court. But he would be lying if he said it didn't hurt.
"My lord, I plead to set my client free of all charges against him. I also add the incompetent police officers handling this case to be charged according to section 211 and make them pay my client compensation from their accounts or face imprisonment for falsely accusing my client of such merciless killings and making his life difficult. Thank you."
Ishan took a deep breath after going back to his seat. Rishabh squeezed his leg to reassure him everything went well. He did feel bad to accuse his friends but there was no other way. Being professional and void of any personal feelings is the first thing to being a good lawyer. They need to be impartial in order to make this a fair trial. According to the proofs laid out currently, some important evidence was mismatched in the case. He knew that's the reason the prosecution was trying to close the case soon.
The judge spoke up from his seat " The court has heard both sides and is now posting the next trial on 6th June 2024. The prosecution has been granted time to collect further data and transfer it to the defence too. " Next case, please.
The room was eerily silent in the afternoon. Usually, someone would be cracking some joke or pulling each other's leg all day but today was different. Nobody wanted to move from their position even to drink water.
"Guys, why are you all sitting as if we have lost the trial? It was just the first one na? And it was not the first time a case has been filed against you guys." Anushka piped in.
"It's not every day your best friend, no, some acquaintance, tells us what we did was absolutely wrong "
" When did you all become this unprofessional? Look at me! I was there when all those things were said about us but I'm still alright. Why can't you guys cheer up a bit? At least sit up Shrey! You're gonna be sucked up by the ground if you stay down any longer"
" I'd rather have Bhoomidevi just take me up at this point. I couldn't even step out without seeing all those snickers around that courtroom"
The scene outside the room wasn't exactly good for them. All of the other advocates who came to witness the case were laughing at them for their weak evidence and certain someone's mocking was the last straw. They had to increase the security too as more people had reached the court after the trial. They just ran to the vehicles and drove straight to the jail and later assembled at Virat's house.
"We should do more of those lie-detecting tests on him Viru bhaiya!" Shubman suddenly yelled out.
"No Shubi, it can easily be proven as manipulated content as there's not enough credibility. " sighed Hardik. "You know it too then why are you saying this?"
"My brain isn't braining anymore. Please take this out and just get a good wash like Rashi cleaned her husband's laptop. That's the only thing that's gonna work for me rn"
"Don't be drama queen now Shubi. Enough of this moping everyone. Please come to the dining room. Have some hot soup for now."
Finally, everyone was dragged to the table to have something. Virat who had been quiet all this time said" Listen, I know today didn't go as we hoped, but we can't lose our focus. We have to regroup, reassess our strategy, and come back stronger for the next trial. We can't let one setback define this case."
Anushka chimed in, "Virat's right. We need to stay calm and focused. Emotions won't help us here. We have a responsibility to seek justice for the victims and their families. Let's not forget that."
Shreyas, still visibly upset, muttered, "But how do we work with Ishan on the other side?"
Hardik put a hand on Shreyas's shoulder. "We do what we're trained to do. We analyze the evidence, we build our case, and we fight for what we believe is right. We can't let our personal feelings cloud our judgment."
Shubman, who had been quiet for most of the discussion, finally spoke up. "I agree with Harry bhai. We need to focus on the facts, not our emotions. Let's use this time before the next trial to gather more evidence, strengthen our case, and work on the defence's moves."
Virat nodded in agreement. "Alright, let's get to work. We have a lot to do before the next trial. But remember, we're a team. We'll get through this together."
With renewed determination, they set to work, determined to overcome this setback and fight for justice. They knew the road ahead wouldn't be easy, but they were ready to face whatever challenges came their way. After all, they were a team, and together, they were unstoppable.
A/N: Women are often undervalued, particularly in the field of law, so I had to bring someone who I admire and who appeared to be perfect for this role. That's how Anushka came into the picture. Another thing is the sections mentioned are real ones but the way these court proceedings go isn't exactly accurate. I am very grateful to all of you for the love and trust you have placed in me. I am totally not panicking at all. Lots of love to you my dear Jaan.
