Imperious

Chapter 8

Do not mix the truth with falsehood, nor knowingly conceal the truth. (Quran 2:42)

The first court proceeding commenced on Friday, shortly after Jummah prayers.

It's hosting place, the city of Abraq, was convenient for the Jatois as Farasat's scrap metal business was situated in this city and Khanumpur was not much of a distance from here either. With ease, a portion of the Jatoi family arranged themselves and drove down here.

It was not of much inconvenience for Khurram Jatoi either. He was a resident of Abraq, after having moved out of the village in his early twenties, seeking to settle himself into metropolitan lifestyle, far from the constraints of the Jatoi Manor.

He had filed a child abduction case against the Jatois for having picked up Inaya from school, without their consent and knowledge. In return, Farasat, accused Karam of attempted uxoricide. And now they were here.

The public were forming their own assumptions from newspaper articles and even though the court had not proved his son guilty, his family was being looked upon with hatred. He entered the court swiftly and pretended not to notice his son's in-laws; he knew that one glance could result in a heated argument. The kid, Sadia's third little sister, was here too.

The courtroom appeared very similar to those that Nafeesa had seen in soap operas, though the lawyers appeared considerably less austere. Expressionlessly, she watched their exchange of documents, the swivelling of chairs, testing pens, grooming cloaks and occasional murmurs and brief glances towards the jury.

She glanced towards Karam's family; his father, his mother, his younger brother.

Khurram was calmly seated in the row next to the Jatois. Worry was the last emotion crossing his face. As far as he was concerned, the first court proceeding was a chance for him to save his son rather than to demolish the rumours.

His wife sat beside him; a tall, dough-faced woman with big eyes and fair skin. Unlike her husband, she was nervous about the matter. Perhaps remorseful too.

Their younger son, Kadar, was seated at the end of the row beside his mother. Dressed in a metallic pink shirt and ripped jeans, he considered himself to be a fashionable youth who shared a great resemblance to Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar. His dress sense was questionable.

And Karam was placed in the witness box opposite Nafeesa. He resembled his younger brother significantly. Both had black hair and dark brown eyes, oval faces, friendly faces.

Nafeesa glared at them all reproachfully as did her father and uncle. They returned the glances blankly.

The judge rested his hands on the table and commenced, "The Jatois have been called here today on the basis of a matter addressed to court, primarily by the police: Case 19; the burn case of Sadia Jatoi, for which her husband has been held responsible. Another factor in this issue is the custody of Inaya Jatoi the daughter of Karam Jatoi, the accused. Before we consider the guardianship of the child, the primary root of the problem must be seen to," the judge turned to Karam, "You have been accused of the attempted murder of your wife, what have you to say in your defence?"

Karam face eased into pretentious misery. The maliciousness that usually swept his face was smacked free and a veil of inauthentic despair was filled in its space, "To think that rumours could break my home, saddens me so much," he sighed, "I understand why I've been brought here, but to stand up here and be seen as a perpetrator without hard evidence is truly a miserable moment for both me and my parents. A truly miserable moment, Judge Sahib."