CHAPTER 8:
JUSTICE DELIVERED
"Jalal, mere bacche...” ("Jalal, my child...”)
Maham walked towards him with open arms to embrace him when she was stopped short by his words.
"Apne lafz aur apne kadmon ko wahin rok lijiye... Maham Anga!” ("Stop your words and feet right there... Maham Anga”)
The steady wind that was blowing just moments ago had come to a standstill as if it too was shocked by this behaviour of the young emperor. The insects, whose noise reflected the presence of life even in the darkest places, had become tight-lipped. The leaves had stopped rustling. It seemed as if time had stopped altogether, after witnessing the emperor addressing Maham Anga, a woman he respected more than his own mother, by her given name.
Maham Anga, herself, was very shocked, to say the least. She couldn’t believe her ears. It was the first time that Jalal had addressed her in such a disrespectful manner. And what mattered more was the way he uttered it, with a cool voice which he used when he didn’t want to give away his emotions. The cold in his voice sent chills of foreboding down her spine.
Had he discovered her involvement in Sujamal's entry into the harem? Had he called her here to confront her? And would be her fate then? All these questions popped up at once in Maham Anga's mind. This late-night summon had made her slightly sceptical, but now she was actually tensed.
Yet Maham dared to hope that she hadn’t been discovered. She had taken care of all the evidence afterall. No! No, there was no way that Jalal could find out the truth. Little did she know that he was more resourceful than she gave him credit for.
“Jalal kya hua hai? Kya aapko kuch pareshan kar raha hai? Hume batao, hum koi hal dhundh lenge. Sultanat aur aapki khushi ke liye hum koi tareeka dhundh lenge.” (“What has happened Jalal? Is something worrying you? Tell me about it, I will solve your problem. For the Sultanate and for your happiness, I will find a way.”)
“Kya aap sach mein meri museebaton ka hal nikalengi? Kya aap sach mein meri aur Sultanat ki khushi chahati hai?” (“Will you really solve my problems? Do you really want me and the Sultanate to be happy?”)
Jalal couldn’t look at her without losing his restraint. What he had discovered a while ago had sent his emotions and thoughts in a downward spiral. When Atga Sahab had approached him earlier this night, he had not thought that this is what his day would be ending with. He was going to go to his room and be with his own thoughts, but here he was, about to confront the woman, who had been his confidante, guide and mother figure.
He hadn’t believed Atga Sahab and had rebuked him, for even thinking that Maham Anga could commit such a crime. But when the evidence and witnesses were presented he couldn’t deny it. He had himself questioned and counter questioned the two khwajaseras and they had not budged from their statements. But not ready to believe them yet he had the messenger brought to him who had informed him of Sujamal's whereabouts. It was after his confession about Maham ordering him to lie that Jalal finally accepted it. Indeed, Maham Anga had schemed against Jodha Begum for the lord knows what reason. And in doing so she had not only hurt him but had committed treason against the crown.
He was furious, unhappy, guilty, heartbroken and devastated all at the same time. Would it have been better had he not known the truth? What was worse, losing the love of his life because he had doubted her character or knowing that it was through the schemes of his most trusted confidante that it had come to be? How could he confront her? How should he punish her? Why had she done this? How was he going to face Jodha after knowing this? So many questions that needed answering.
“Jalal, kya keh rahe hai aap? Humne humesha aapki aur Sultanat ki bhalai hi chahi hai.” (“Jalal what are you saying? I have always wanted the best for you and the Sultanate.”)
“Agar ye sach hai, toh aapne Jodha Begum ke khilaf saazish kyun rachi? Kya takleef thi aapko unse?” (“If that is true, then why did you scheme against Jodha Begum? What problem did you have with her?”)
“Aap ye... ye kya keh rahe hai? Hum aur saazish? Vo bhi Jodha Begum ke khilaf? Aap humpar ye ilzam kaise laga sakte hai Jalal? Zaroor kisi ne aapke kaan bhare hai humare khilaf.” (“What are you... what are you saying Jalal? Me and schemes? That too against Jodha Begum? How can you accuse me so? Obviously someone has poisoned your mind against me.”)
“Kaan toh mere aapne bhare the Maham Anga, Jodha Begum ke khilaf! Aapne hume apni hi Begum par shaq karne par majboor kiya. Humare dil mein ye khayal dala ki vo bewafa hai, jabki vo apne bhaijaan se milne jaa rahi tho. Vo bhi humari hi jaan bachane ke liye. Aur aapne ye jaante hue hume ye bharosa dilaya ki vo koi Rajput shehzada hai. Ye bharosa dilaya ki Sujamal toh kahin aur hai! Aapki wajah se humne apni hi Begum ko vapas unko maike bhej diya! Aapki wajah se humne apni zindagi mein aayi ek lauti khushi ko bhi kho diya hai, Maham Anga! Aur aap kehti hai ki aapko humari aur Sultanat ki fikar hai, jabki aapne ek gair mard to harem mein ghusne dekar humare aur Sultanat ke saath dagabazi ki hai.” (“It is you who had poisoned my mind against Jodha Begum! You forced me to suspect my own wife. You made me think that she was cheating on me, whereas she was meeting her own brother. And that too because she cared about my life. And you made me believe that he was some other Rajput prince even after knowing this. You made me believe that Sujamal was indeed somewhere else! It is because of you that I have sent back my own wife! Because of you, I have lost the only happiness that I found, Maham Anga! And you say that you care about me and the Sultanate, whereas by allowing a man into the harem you have committed treason against the Sultanate and me.”)
“Magar Jalal humari baat toh suniye. Ye sach nahi hai....” (“Listen to me Jalal. This is not true...”)
“Humare pass saboot hai Maham Anga!” (“We have evidence Maham Anga”)
Jalal clapped his hands twice to signal Atga Sahab to bring the khwajaserahs and the messenger. He noticed the slight change of expressions on Maham's face although she was very quick to mask it.
“Kya aap inhein janti hi Maham Anga? Dhyaan se dekhiye inhein.” (Do you know them Maham Anga? Look at them carefully.”)
“Hume thoda kuch yaad aa raha hai Jalal. Ye humare harem mein khwajaserah bhejte hai. Aur ye tho vo sipahi hi jisne kuch dino pehle Deewan-e-Khas mein aapko Sujamal ke baare mein khabar di thi.” (I remember them a little. They are the ones that supply khwajaseras to the harem. And this is the messenger who told you about Sujamal's whereabouts in Deewan-e-Khaas a few days ago.”)
Jalal had to agree that if he had not known the truth, he would have fallen prey to Maham’s convincing acting. He ordered the khwajaseras to narrate what had happened with them. When Maham continued to deny, he ordered the messenger to speak. And at last the entire scheme lay before everyone. Knowing that now she couldn’t escape and there there was no use lying seeing that Jalal didn’t believe her blindly now, Maham, frustrated by the happenings and his trust in the Hindu Begum let her facade go.
“Haan! Haan humne uss Hindu shehzadi ke khilaf saazish rachi! Janna chahte hai kyun? Kyunki aap pagal ho rahe the uske peeche! Ek Hindu shehzaadi se aap ishq kar rahe the aur hum ye nahi dekh sakte the. Kaun thi vo?! Aap kamzoor ho rahe the uski wajah se. Aap hume bhulne lage the Jalal! Cheen rahi thi vo aapko humse, apni kaum se. Isliye hume ye karna pada, aur hume iska koi gham nahi hai. Hum kisi Hindu ko Marium-uz-Zamani bante nahi dekh sakte. Hum kisi Hindu ke saamne nahi jhukenge. Isliye humne ye kiya! Aur hume agar mauka mila hum phir yahi karenge is Sultanat aur aapko bachane ke liye.” (“Yes! Yes, I conspired against that Hindu princess! Want to know why? Because you were going crazy for her! You were falling for a Hindu princess and I couldn’t simply sit and watch. Who was she anyhow?! You were becoming soft-hearted because of her. And you started forgetting me Jalal! She was taking you away from me, from your people. So I had to do it, and I don’t feel even a bit of remorse for it. I couldn’t just sit and watch a Hindu becoming the Marium-uz-Zamani. I will not bow to a Hindu. So I did it! And if I have to do it again to save you and the Sultanate, I will.”)
Jalal couldn’t believe that Maham Anga could have so much hate in her heart for a specific community. He couldn’t believe that all this hate was because Jodha didn’t pray to the same God. It was an eye opener for him. All this time he thought that the hate Jodha had for him with meaningless. But now he felt that at least she used to hate him because of his deeds instead of his religion. And he was standing in front of a woman whom he had idolized his entire life, realising that actually it was hate like her's that didn’t make sense. He now felt how wrong he had been all his life to idolize these thoughts. How stupid he had been. But now he would mend it.
“Maham Anga, aaj aapne jo bhi kaha hai vo sunkar hume sharm aa rhi hai ye sochne mein ki humne aapko Badi Ammi is darja diya. Aapki nafrat aapko kahika nhi chhodegi. Agar aap Sultanat ke bare mein sooch rahi hoti tho aapko pata hota ki Sultanat sirf sabke saath se aage badh sakti hai. Chahe koi kisi bhi Khuda ke aage sajda kare magar sabke ek hi zimmedari hai aur ek hi haq hai. Kal Hindustan ka Shehenshah aapki gaddari par faisla lega magar aaj ek beta faisla karta hai. Aaj aapne ek beta kho diya Maham Anga! Aur aise khayalon ke saath yahi hota hai. Sirf cheezein tooti hai. Judti nahi.” (Maham Anga, after hearing your thoughts I feel ashamed to call you my Badi Ammi. All this hate in your heart won’t take you anywhere. Had you been thinking about the Sultanate, you would have known that we will need everyone's support for that. Irrespective of which god they pray to. Everyone has the same rights and the same responsibilities. Tomorrow morning the Emperor of Hindustan will decide your fate. But whatever be his decision, now a son will declare his decision. You have lost a son today Maham Anga. And that is what happens with those thoughts. You don’t mend, you break.”)
Saying so Jalal excited the Deewan-e-Khaas leaving a shocked and distraught Maham Anga behind. She hadn’t expected Jalal to disown her. She stared at Jalal's retreating back, eyes filled with confusion about how everything had blown up this way. She was going to need a while to digest that. But it was going to be hard as tomorrow Jalal, as the Emperor was going to decide her fate. That shocked her more as she had not even expected him to know about what she had done. But now she needed to go to her room. She needed to regroup herself. Prepare for tomorrow and what it would bring for her.
*****************
The Next Morning
Deewan-e-Khaas
Everyone had gathered into the Deewan-e-Khaas, the house of the lords, to witness the punishment that the Wazir-E-Aliya, Maham Anga, would be sentenced to. The news had travelled fast and now the entire fort and soon the entire Sultanate would know about her crimes and the result of them. Even people who generally avoided the Deewan-e-Khaas were present. Everyone awaited the entry of the Shehenshah and then of Maham Anga so that the proceeding of the case could begin. The atmosphere was charged with a tense electricity which everyone was going to be zapped by and which would leave many shocked.
“Baadab! Bamulahiza! Hoshiyar! Noor-e-takht, Sultanat-e-Mughalia, Shehenshah-e-Hind, Jallaludin Mohammad, Diwaan-e-Khaas mein tashreef la rahe hai!” (“All rise! The Shehenshah is entering the Diwaan-e-Khaas!”)
Everyone stood in attention to respect to the Emperor as he marched into the hall and took his place on the throne. He looked as immaculate and in control as ever, as if he wasn’t going to declare the punishment for his mother like figure.
Jalal observed the courtiers and the women of the royal zenana, seated behind a thin curtain. Everyone waiting to confirm if what they had heard was true. Everyone eager to know what would be the Shahenshah’s decision knowing that he would be serving as a judge for Maham Anga. It was going to be a tough hearing, and Jalal was thankful that atleast currently Adham Khan was not here or else it would have been a chaotic one too.
Jalal had never thought that thete would be a day where he would be punishing his Badi Ammi and that too because she had conspired against one of his Begums. He had never thought that he would ever care about any of his Begums so much to do this. But that is one of the differences that Jodha’s arrival into his life had made. He was now coming to know who loved him and who used him for their own hunger for power amongst other things.
Jalal ordered the suspect to be brought to the court. Maham Anga, entered the court accompanied by two guards who were there not to protect her but to prevent her from escaping. Oh the irony!
In the night that had passed Maham and Jalal both had got hold of their emotions and had decided their future actions and decisions. Maham knew that she couldn’t act with emotions in the court. She feared nothing but if she said something wrong then her son would have to bear the effects of that. Jalal prepared himself to sit on his throne as a judge, as the Emperor, and not as a son or a husband. He had decided what he wanted to do and what would be fit considering her actions of past and present. In any case he couldn’t let emotions do the judgement for him.
Atgah Sahab began reading out the accusations on Mahan Anga.
“Maham Anga, aap par ilzaam hai ki aapne harem mein ek gair mard ko aane diya. Aisa karte hue aapne apne Shahenshah se jhooth kaha aur unhein andhere mein rakha. Aapne Shahenshah ki Begum ki shaan mein gusthakhi ki hai. Aap par ilzaam hai ki aapne is liye Shahenshah ko gumrah kiya. Aap par Sultanat aur Shahenshah se gaddari ka ilzaam hai. Kya aap apni safayi mein kuch kehna chahti hai?” (“Maham Anga, you have been accused of allowing an alien man to enter into the royal harem. In lieu of this you lied to the Emperor and kept him in the dark. You also caused disrespect to the Emperor’s wife and in doing so tried to distract the Emperor. You have been accused of treachery with the Emperor and the Sultanate. Do you have anything to say in your defence?”)
Maham Anga quitely shook her head and accepted all the accusations on her. Seeing this Jalal gave his judgement.
“Maham Anga, Sultanat aur apne Shahenshah se gaddari karne ki wajah se hum aapse aapke saare audeh chhente hai. Aaj se aapke paas Sultanat ya Shahenshah ke bare mein koi bhi faisala karne ka haq nahi hai. Gaddari ki saza sar kalam karna hai, magar Shahenshah aur Sultanat ke aur aapke pichle kamon ko yaad rakhte hue hum aapko umar kaid ki saja sunate hai. Aap apni baki ki zindagi kaid mein guzarengi.” (“Maham Anga, because of your treachery to the Sultanate and the Shahenshah, I take away all your powers and posts. From now on you have no rights to make any decisions related to the Shahenshah and Sultanate. Generally the punishment of treachery is beheading but keeping in mind your past services to the Shahenshah and the Sultanate I sentence you with live imprisonment. You shall live rest of your Life in a prison under observation in a prison.”)
Maham Anga respectfully bowed her head and did a salaam as she was taken away to the prison. Keeping in mind her age she had been given a considerably comfortable prison cell. Well as comfortable as a closed room of cold stone made to limit someone’s freedom of movement could get.
Jalal adjourned the court and proceeded to his chambers with Atgah Sahab. He now had to get ready. There was a journey waiting for him and a tough task to accomplish before his eyes. And hence he instructed Atgah Sahab to make the arrangements for his departure and for his trip to Amer.
Now that he had put the culprit to justice, he was going to try and convince Jodha to return with him to Agra. He knew it was going to be a difficult task. She was a self respecting, and stubborn Rajput woman who didn’t bend to anyone’s will but her own. He knew that she would oppose. And hence he was willing to try whatever he could to get her back. If it needed groveling at her feet then he would do that too, because Agra was not the same without her. It wasn’t just him that missed her, it was his mother, Salima Begum and little Rahim and everyone in Agra who had gotten attached to her pure persona and ever smiling face. So now he was going to go and get her. Atleast he hoped he was successful.
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