The judge for the Boston Federal District Court was entirely bald; he was pushing 60, after all.
Under the court lights, his bald head shimmered with sweat and oil.
He glared at Kartik resentfully as his hands fumbled for the gavel. He struck the table with the gavel and announced loudly: "Silence! The defendant is underage. The court has
no jurisdiction over minors-this case is dismissed. The defendant is not guilty. That is all."
The judge hurried away.
He had messed up, big time, and knew Kartik would not let him off the hook so easily. He would have to go to the
military bigwigs and ask for their help.
He would be retiring soon. The last thing he wanted was to lose his pension over this.
Lieutenant Colonel Peter had not expected the battle to be over before it had even begun. He spat out the gum he had been chewing, and stuck it on the wall.
He got up to leave. When he reached the door, he turned to look at the nurse in charge of Shruti.
The nurse understood. She put her hands on the handles of Shruti's wheelchair and pushed her out of the
courtroom.
The spectators in the courtroom moved aside, and watched them leave.
Kartik watched their retreating backs, his expression cold. When Lieutenant Colonel Peter looked over, Kartik smiled at him, his hands in his pockets. His posture exuded defiance.
Lieutenant Colonel Peter grinned at him, before turning to leave.
Kartik understood what he meant: the matter was far from over.
Sure enough, another summons arrived at Shehnaaz's apartment two days later. This time, it was addressed to her guardian because she was still a minor.
Her case was taken over by the Boston Federal District Juvenile Court, which specialized in violent criminal cases
involving minors below the age of 18. As a general rule, the trials in the juvenile court were held behind closed doors, presided over by a single judge instead of a jury. The judge had to have conclusive and irrefutable evidence to convict the defendant.
These juvenile cases were usually a lot trickier to judge than similar cases involving adults.
Kartik had prepared his arguments for the juvenile court. He was curious to see how far the US military was willing to go for Shruti.
Shehnaaz also prepared for her day in court.
The juvenile court proceedings would be kept strictly confidential. She did not have to worry about her identity
being exposed, or attracting unwelcome attention.
...
"Sana, go to bed early. I'll wake you tomorrow morning," said Deepak as he knocked on her door.
Two weeks had passed; Shehnaaz was now under the care of Deepak.
Rohit had been transferred back to the India a week ago, and Deepak had come over to replace him.
Shehnaaz reluctantly closed the tab on the internet forum she had been browsing. She shut down her laptop, rubbed her eyes, and laughed. "...That Shruti is really something. She's supposed to be mentally impaired, but
she's still going about the forums posting lies and slander about me..."
Deepak was a true IT genius; he had attained the position of top dog at the international Hacker's Alliance before the age of 18. He had only joined the military and become Sidharth's assistant after he had been scouted by Sidharth.
The first thing he did after arriving in the States was to spy on Shruti's computer and mobile phone.
Unlike Rohit, Deepak took to living in America like a fish to water.
Everything could be done online, which made it easy to monitor Shruti's activities.
Deepak said, smiling, "Don't let it bother you. The more she does, the easier it'll be to expose her. I've taken
screenshots of everything she's done, don't worry. As soon as the trial begins tomorrow, we'll ask the court to confiscate and search Shruti's computer and phone."
"She's supposed to be mentally impaired, so she can easily wriggle out of that by claiming someone else took
advantage of her limited mental capacity and hacked her computer, or at least used her computer without her knowledge," said Shehnaaz as she shut the lid of her laptop, "but we have to warn her anyway, so she knows we're watching her every move. Hopefully she'll get the message and stop shooting herself in the foot. Otherwise, when we finally expose her, she'll have to change her name and get plastic surgery just to be able to stay in academia."
"You're right. I'll pass all the evidence to Kartik tomorrow, see what he wants to do with it." Deepak turned off the lights and shut the door behind him.
...
It was the day of her trial.
Shehnaaz put on a white round-neck silk blouse with butterfly sleeves, a navy blue knee-length A-line skirt, a pair of white sneakers, and a backpack. Her hair hung loose over
her back, with only a hair band over her head to keep her hair in place. With her fair, delicate face and large, doe-like eyes, she looked the very picture of an angelic, well-behaved child.
If there had been a jury, her appearance would have won them over as soon as she appeared in court.
Unfortunately, there was no jury this time; the court proceedings would be presided over by Judge Judy, a 40- year-old virgin who absolutely abhorred pure, delicate girls like Shehnaaz.
When she learned that she would be facing Judge Judy, Shehnaaz prepared herself.
If Judge Judy was bent on making things difficult for her, then Shehnaaz would just have to provoke her. It was easy to slip up when you were angry.
"Let's go." Deepak came out from his room. He looked at Shehnaaz, and handed his phone to her. "It's Mr. Shukla."
"Really?!" Shehnaaz's eyes lit up, as merry and bright as Christmas lights.
The smile on her face was so dazzling Deepak had to look away. He opened the door and walked out.
Shehnaaz followed him, the phone plastered against her ear. "Uncle Sid!"
"It's the big day today. Are you ready?" Sidharth's voice was calm and relaxed; it was the voice of a man who knew he had everything within his control.
Shehnaaz nodded vigorously as she strode to the elevator.
"I'm ready. Wait for my good news, Uncle Sid!"
Sidharth smiled. "Remember to thank Professor Sen. When the trial's over ask him about his fees, I won't have him work for us for free."
Shehnaaz was momentarily stunned; she had automatically assumed Kartik was representing her pro bono.
As soon as Sidharth mentioned the attorney's fee, she realized how naive she had been.
Kartik was nice to her, but business was business-he would still be collecting his attorney's fee.
He had not said a single word of it to her yet; Shehnaaz guessed it was probably his assistant's job to tell her after the lawsuit had been dealt with.
Shehnaaz thought of Kartik's assistant, Rashmi Desai, and her lips curled in distaste. She wished she could grab a stack of bills right this instant and throw it in Rashmi's round, treacherous face.
Kartik was a top lawyer, and was representing her himself. His fees were most likely astronomical...
Where was she going to get all that money?
Shehnaaz's heart sank. She bit her lip and murmured, "...I wonder if Professor Sen will let me pay in installments?"
Sidharth realized that Shehnaaz was worried about not being able to pay Kartik, and could not help laughing. "Don't worry about it. Just promise me you'll behave."
Shehnaaz knew that Sidharth meant to pay the attorney's fee for her, but the thought made her even more
depressed and uncomfortable.
Uncle Sid was wealthy, but it did not feel right to have him spend so much money on her.
Uncle Sid's girlfriend would definitely resent her if she found out about it.
As Shehnaaz stepped into the elevator, she suddenly remembered that Sidharth had given her the apartment in Andheri Precinct...
She would have enough to pay Kartik if she sold the apartment.
Her face instantly brightened. She said to Sidharth, "I'll behave, I won't cause any more trouble, I promise. I'll discuss the fees with Professor Sen. You don't have to worry, Uncle Sid."
"You can do it after you win the case. Let's not break his stride right now," said Sidharth as he casually tapped
the ash from his cigarette.
"Yes, you're right." Shehnaaz ended the call, a sweet, serene smile on her face.
Inside the elevator, Deepak glanced at her, shaking his head and keeping silent. When it stopped at the ground
floor, the pair walked out of the apartment to see a yellow Hummer parked in front of the entrance. Kartik had especially sent a car to take them to the courthouse, and Deepak helped Shehnaaz get in the car.
Deepak squinted at the vehicle and raised his brows mischievously at Shehnaaz, "This is not just any car."
Shehnaaz touched the chassis and windows, laughing quietly as she mouthed silently at Deepak, "Bulletproof..." Looks like Kartik had become more vigilant after the last collision. However the person tracking
them hadn't interested in taking their lives and merely wanted to know their whereabouts. Deepak was the truly lethal one... Shehnaaz felt that Kartik was being paranoid. A throng of people had arrived to the entrance of
the Juvenile Court, and Kartik was already waiting there.
He wore a light grey three-piece wool suit with a silver tie and striped ivory iron-free shirt. The ensemble was so well fitted it appeared tailor made.
Shehnaaz walked towards him, "Professor Sen."
"You're here." Kartik nodded at her, "Let's go in." He reached out and placed one hand behind Shehnaaz, while sheltering her with the other as he walked her into the courthouse. The onlookers were in awe. It was rare that an established lawyer like Kartik would be as caring to his client as a newly licensed one. The crowd immediately saw Shehnaaz in a different light. After Shehnaaz went inside, she sat with Kartik at the dock.
On the plaintiff's seat, Shruti appeared dull and was accompanied by a nurse, lawyer and prosecutor. Judge Judy
then announced the court was in session and the doors to the courtroom closed. It was prohibited to take photos or recordings, and cell phones were banned inside.
Shehnaaz rose and placed her hand on the Bible to swear to speak the whole truth and only truth. After she completed the oath, she glanced at Shruti and wished that the plaintiff would swear as well... Of course, Shruti was a "fool" who couldn't speak and had the lawyer and prosecutor speak on her behalf.
The bailiff removed the Bible and Judge Judy looked at Shehnaaz with disgust. Her face was stony as she asked, "Gill, do you plead guilty?"
Shehnaaz looked down and kept silent. Her lawyer would speak for her now.
Kartik stood up and inclined his head at Judge Judy, "Your Honor, my client does not plead guilty. I want to defend my client's innocence."
Judge Judy shifted her gaze to Kartik, her expression easing considerably as she spoke in a softer voice, "Mr. Sen, are you certain about this? I don't think there's any possibility of denial in a case with irrefutable evidence like
this."
"Denial?" Kartik's shimmering and sultry eyes flashed, his thin lips pressed into a straight line, "I never deny in face of fabricated evidence, but only refute."
A layer of frost formed on Judge Judy's face, "Refute? What piece of evidence can you possibly refute? I'm all ears."
"This first requires the prosecutor to read out their 'irrefutable' evidence." Kartik coldly gazed at the plaintiff before sitting down.
Realizing that she had committed a procedural error, Judge Judy immediately coughed as she urged the prosecutor, "What does the plaintiff wish to say?"
The prosecutor promptly rose from the plaintiff's stand and read from the prepared indictment, "...On July 16 at 10am, at a baseball game, the defendant Shehnaaz used a baseball bat to assault and seriously injure the plaintiff, Shruti. Her right wrist was fractured and a heavy head injury resulted in a concussion, which later turned into irreparable damage. The plaintiff's IQ has dropped to that of a three year old and became mentally disabled. This constitutes as serious injury."
After reading the indictment, the prosecutor proclaimed to Judge Judy, "Shehnaaz's behaviour is especially heinous. She assaulted and caused serious injury a fellow student without provocation. Although she is still a minor, this is crime cannot be pardoned."
Judge Judy nodded, "It is truly heinous." She looked at Kartik, "Mr. Sen, are you certain you will not plead guilty?"
"Of course." Kartik rose, shaking his head at the plaintiff stand as he sighed, "You've been paid by the government and military, yet failed to do your job properly and put together a faulty indictment. What a shame."
"Personal attacks will not be tolerated!" The prosecutor nearly lost his temper and jumped up, "Where is the fault? Isn't it true that your client assaulted mine? Isn't it true that my client has been seriously injured by assault?"
"The two points you've made are certainly true." Kartik spread his palms.
"What?!"
"Ha! Your Honor, you see? He's confessed, what else is there left to try? They've pleaded guilty!" The prosecutor was so excited that he finally knocked down the undefeatable Kartik he lost all composure!
Kartik sneered, "Prosecutor, I haven't finished speaking yet. Why are you talking to yourself?"
"...Not finished speaking? What else do you have left to say?" Judge Judy frowned, "You've admitted it's the truth..."
"Your Honor, I admit the fact my client in fact assaulted someone, as evidenced by the medical report. It's also a fact that the plaintiff can be considered mentally disabled, as evidenced by medical proof." Kartik paused as he scanned the courtroom, "However, I ask the prosecutor to prove that his client's declining IQ is a direct consequence of assault by my client."
"What?"
"Do you not understand legal terminology? I really am not sure how you graduated from law school and obtained your lawyer's license." Kartik taunted, "Allow me to translate for you, please prove that the assault by Shehnaaz directly caused Shruti to become mentally disabled."
"Direct consequence? Isn't it because she was assaulted that she became mentally disabled? She received a
concussion..."
"Prosecutor-after the lawsuit concludes, I will submit a formal complaint to the Law Commission about your professional qualifications. You do not possess any professional qualities of a lawyer." Kartik's voice was icy as he turned to Judge Judy, "Your Honor, the altercation occurred on the baseball field. I had already said it when the university was investigating the incident, as long as no serious injury is sustained, altercations during a sporting event is exempt from prosecution."
"But it became a serious injury..." Judge Judy's eyes flickered as she looked at Kartik. She was confident he
would finally lose the case.
Kartik's couldn't bear it and coldy laughed, "If I kick you today and you die 20 years from now, can you say my kick caused your death?"
"Of course not." Judge Judy instinctively retorted, "A lot can happen in 20 years, the chain of logic has been broken."
"This is exactly the case." Kartik turned and pointed to the plaintiff stand, "The altercation occurred on July 16, and on August 15, nearly one month later-it was said that Shruti's condition deteriorated and her IQ declined. May I ask, isn't it possible that something else happened in the
month that caused her intelligence to be damaged?"
"...That's only on month. It doesn't compare to your earlier example." Judge Judy gave her rebuttal.
"Can't it? Is there an essential difference between one month and 20 years? Well even if you claim there is an essential difference, many people had been in her room since she was hospitalized. Within all those people, any one of them could have hurt her and caused a second injury that led to serious injury." Kartik produced a list of names, "I request to summon all the people named on this list to question them about what they did in Shruti's room."
"No need for all that trouble." Judge Judy waved in dismissal, "It's sufficient to view the surveillance footage in her room. We will see if any one caused a second injury."
Kartik frowned, there was actually surveillance in Shruti's room? This meant the Military truly valued her...
But she was a nobody, why did they go to this extent? Kartik was thoroughly perplexed.
Lieutenant Colonel Peter sat in the back row of the courtroom and smiled proudly. The surveillance footage was
his trump card. Initially, he installed cameras because he didn't fully trust Shruti and was worried she would
contact other people and betray their agreement. The other reason was to guarantee her safety, so all the people
entering her room were also subject to investigation.
The courtroom grew silent. Judge Judy ordered the bailiff to retrieve the surveillance footage from Shruti's room.
For sake of propriety, Kartik also sent one of his employees over to prevent the plaintiff's side from pulling any tricks. There were a total of 28 days from the time Shruti was admitted to the hospital to until her IQ deteriorated. A full box of videos recorded all 28 days. The judge announced a temporary adjournment to await the her and the defendant's lawyer to completely view all the
surveillance footage and come to a decision. The videos were made into three copies-one for court records, one for the judge and the defendant's lawyer to view together, and one for the plaintiff's lawyer to keep.
Kartik's employee carried the box of videos out of the courthouse.
Shehnaaz was silent as she walked behind Kartik.
Kartik stopped and turned around to pat her head, "Don't worry, we'll find a way."
"...Professor Sen didn't consider this?" Shehnaaz asked softly. Although Kartik appeared normal and didn't
express any emotional change in the courtroom, Shehnaaz was able to detect that he had grown moody.
Kartik looked at her in surprise, neither admitting or denying anything before he dryly remarked, "...I can't think of what remaining value Shruti has to the Military or why is she worth all this effort to protect."
"In other words, she still has some remaining value, but we have no idea what it is." Shehnaaz suddenly worried, could Shruti still possess something that could harm the national interests of the India? Last time, Shruti's betrayal had caused the 6th Military Region's Europe mission to fail and almost cost Sidharth and
his men their lives...
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I hope you enjoy reading it.
Love you all.