Chapter 32:
"And then there is Bhanu Pratap," Malvika said breaking the awkward silence. Khushi was leaning back on sofa and sipping her second cup of strong tea.
"What about him?" Rathore asked immediately.
"He expedited the process of getting his brother convicted." Malvika replied.
"What?" Rathore asked stunned with the information.
"Sir, technically there were no bureaucratic hurdles during investigation or forensic screening. Everything went as per the system and DNA profiling was the only one done on high priority. And before Khushi could screw it all up, she disappeared but at the same time, ACP Malvika Singh appeared – handed over the case because of its sensitivity. She is able and has tremendous respect for her job and she simply did her job well. Everything worked perfectly." Payal pitched in.
"As if a plan was being executed," Arnav said. "Our disappearance is tied to Dhananjay's conviction then?" He asked the room.
Malvika shook her head. "I doubt it. The evidence in the case was solid and though she could have controlled the situation, I think it was only matter of time when Dhananjay would be convicted."
"How do you know it's him?" Rathore asked Malvika.
"There are call records made to various people – forensic lab, DCP et al which points to one source." Malvika said. Looking at Rathore, she hesitated. "It could all be circumstantial, of course." She added unconvincingly.
Rathore was quiet.
"Sir, I believe he is the reason for exposing the CMSEC scandal. He is the one who funded and formulated the NGO." Payal said slowly.
"How can that be? NGO was vetted by several government organizations and I think even we did a round of checking of all the people there," Saini said, shocked.
"This NGO was established with funding from Bhanu Pratap and took projects as per his directives." Payal replied. "Money exchanges hands Mr. Saini and it can always be traced back to the source." She added.
Rathore leaned back on sofa and looked thoughtful. After prolonged silence, the steel was back in his voice. "Shukla, you have five days to find out everything that is going on in my son's life." Shukla nodded. "Can you find out what Krishna Kumar and Prasenjit are up to these days? I want to know if they are brewing any trouble." Rathore added looking at the three lawyers pointedly.
"Only Khushi will talk to press about our kidnapping and no one else will give comments or issue any statements." Arnav said. "We have election to think of now." He added grimly.
*****
A typical news cycle has a life of three days, a fortnight in print media and about a month in the public's memory. Khushi ensured that the news about her and Arnav's abduction however never made it to the breaking news ticker. The news had been added as an afterthought in most news channels. Arnav breathed a sigh of relief at that.
She was back in her office the day after she came back from the compound. It was the place where she could think clearly and have all the information at her disposal. She had dived right into looking up her boss – Sampat's affiliations for the past three decades. There was only so much Payal could do especially when things happened decades ago via secretaries, PRs and media consultants.
And they still had no concrete game plan as to what to do next. There were theories, yes, but no….action yet. That thought made jittery.
Keerthi entered after knocking her door for three times. "Khushi, he is here," she said.
"Send him in." Khushi said standing up. "Keerthi, hold of all my calls. Including Arnav," she added. Keerthi nodded and walked out. Half a moment later, a man in his early seventies entered her cabin.
"Hello Khushi." The man said softly and took a chair in front of her desk. She took a deep breath and wished him softly. He waited till she sat down in her own chair. "You seem surprised to see me," he said noting her silence.
"You were the chief justice of Supreme court who has given many monumental judgments in this history sir. And you are here in my cabin makes me nervous…almost like a school child caught doing something wrong and is standing in front of the headmaster," she said trying to abate her nervousness.
The man laughed. "I am an old man who solves crossword puzzles in morning and reads pulp fiction during the day Khushi. I used to be chief justice but now just an old man tired of the reigning stupidity." He shrugged. "But I had to talk to you about Article 105(2)." He said.
"That's about bribery in relation to member of parliament. You made the historic decision by charging the former Prime Minister for bribery. What about it?" She asked. She really did feel like she was back in classroom again. In her college, they had discussed about the case of corruption were three members of the parliament were paid approximately nine crores to ensure the survival of then Prime Minister. It was the first time in the history a prime minister was put under trial albeit by a special court.
"That's exactly what is happening everywhere Khushi. This election is a farce, eyewash to the public if you will. There will be no gain by wasting so much of tax-payers money into a rigged election."
"Sir, are you saying that there are parties who are going to commit election fraud? If yes, then I don't think I am the right person to talk to," she said hesitantly.
"I am not saying they are going to commit fraud Khushi. The fraudulent behavior will start once they are elected. The elected MPs are going to be bought just the way it happened in 1992 elections and you can't do a thing about it because of that article 195(2). MPs are not liable for prosecution for voting in the parliament and it doesn't come under purview of court as it would mean that the elected member's free speech is hindered. So if a man takes bribe and votes against the wishes of his party no can do anything about it. In this case only the person who has given the bribe is liable for prosecution." He said.
Khushi was quiet for several moments. "Why are you telling me this, sir?" She asked still clueless about this visit.
He sighed. "I was approached four months ago by a group of people who wanted to understand the case filed against ex-Prime minister. They wanted complete proceedings of the case and the case notes associated with it," he said.
"Aren't case details in public domain?" She asked, surprised.
"It is public domain but what they were looking for is the preparation government lawyers did against the case. That material is not made public," he replied.
Khushi raised an eyebrow. "The case is two decades old. What could they possibly want from it?"
"It's not about the case Khushi. It's about what the information is capable of. I believe someone wants to be prepared when charged with a case similar to this one."
"What do you mean?"
"It's just not the prime minister who was investigated by the CBI but the entire cabinet. The extent of corruption is much worse now and the blatancy with which these politicians operate is horrifying. Lower house may contain twice the number of members but upper house cannot be subjected to dissolution. Both the houses have equaled footing in all areas of legislation except supply but with the current way of government formation, a joint session will be in order for any amendment or passing of a bill with substantial budget involved. Do the math Khushi. You have been focusing only on lower house all these while but think about the muted power of upper house. If there is a joint session between the two houses there will be a possibility to call the shots from the outside," He said.
Khushi hummed in response. "Why are you telling me this sir?" She asked. The man stood up.
She stood up immediately. "Let's just say that a friend sent me to give you advice," he said with a smile.
"Who asked you talk to me?" She asked curiosity getting better of her.
"I hope you know what to do next Khushi," he said ignoring her question.
She nodded her head and just like that, he was gone.
She called Arnav once everything the man had said sunk into her. "We need to talk immediately." She said.
Note: The case Khushi and the chief justice talks about is the famous JMM bribery case of 1993. Check out these links:
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
Hindi TV Shows
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