It is May 6 and CBI special judge OP Saini's courtroom is packed to capacity as journalists, lawyers, policemen and curious onlookers struggle for a toe-hold to get a glimpse of the lead players in the case that has generated anger among the people, curiosity across the world and what cynics call a pretence of some soul searching amongst politicians.
Canali jeans, Prada and YSL bags jostle for space and attention as the fragrance of top-end perfumes fill the air in the sweaty courtroom. Is it as much about making a fashion statement? Perhaps it is. Over a dozen air conditioners fail to beat the searing Delhi heat.
Courtrooms in the imposing Patiala house, a short distance away from India Gate, have witnessed many a legal battle, but right now the spotlight in the majestic building is on Saini's courtroom that is in the midst of hearing one of the most high profile cases in recent times - the 2G spectrum scam. And when the high and mighty have a date with the law in a cramped courtroom the result can sometimes be a heady concoction of brands, glamour and flamboyance.
Those facing the court include former telecom minister A Raja, DMK Rajya Sabha MP and Tamil Nadu chief minister's daughter K Kanimozhi, former telecom secretary Siddhartha Behura, top executives of Reliance, DB Realty promoters Shahid Balwa and Vinod Goenka, and Unitech's Sanjay Chandra.
After the initial nervousness, Raja looks relaxed. He sits patiently through the arguments in the courtroom as he is flanked by DB Realty's Shahid Balwa and Vinod Goenka. One can't miss Raja's crisp cotton white shirt and occasional smile at spotting a familiar face.
Shahid Balwa, dressed in a trendy T-shirt and stress jeans, puts up a brave front and tries his best to catch every word of the argument, occasionally cracking jokes with the security officials and his battery of defence lawyers. He is jittery sometimes, but maintains his composure.
A row behind them sits RK Chandolia, once the powerful private secretary of Raja. At one point of time, Chandolia's wife asked one of Goenka's relatives if she was alone. She turned around and waved her hand to the Balwas to say, "I have 500 of them with me. "
Relatives of Balwa and Goenka pack the last few rows of the courtroom dressed equally immaculately as those they have turned out to support. On her first appearance in court, Kanimozhi is only too conscious her behaviour and 'body language' is under the close scrutiny of the media. "It is all because of you people the court is so packed, " the DMK patriarch's daughter tells a TV reporter jokingly, to make the air feel lighter.
Kanimozhi and Kalaingar TV managing director Sharath Kumar have arrived with a stock full of chewing gum and mouth fresheners, passing them among the DMK members, sharing them with reporters too.
The huge crowd of policemen keeping a close vigil on the celebrity crowd presents a mixed picture. The stern looking older cops go about their task in clinical fashion, but the glitz, glamour and power on display seems to have overawed the younger ones, some of whom can be heard discussing style statements.
Kanimozhi comforts the nervous wife of Sharath Kumar even as she tries to absorb the court proceedings herself. Her husband Aravinthan looks a bit bored and catches up on some reading, burying his face in the book Islam and Muslim History in South Asia. In between his reading, he exchanges a few words with his wife as she hands over some gum to him.
It's a scene straight out of reality TV as the powerful Tamil Nadu family and its loyalists put on their show of solidarity as if to show you that though the challenges are tough, it's business as usual for them.
Dressed in their sparkling white cotton shirts and veshtis DMK MPs and party leaders throw a protective ring around their party boss's daughter, clutching hard their pricey Apple I-phones with Karunanidhi's picture as screensaver - wearing their party loyalty not on their sleeves but on their sleek phones. In the far left corner of the court-room, Unitech managing director Sanjay Chandra is seen speaking softly to one of the lawyers. Reliance ADA group vice-president Hari Nair, who occupies a seat in the last row, joins Chandra and his wife in a discussion. Chandra's wife types furiously on her Blackberry, anxious about the attention of the swelling crowd of onlookers and reporters.
To those in the legal profession, speed and accuracy matters and a load of Blackberry phones come in handy. A bunch of defence lawyers is busy texting and emailing information real time to its teams outside. At lunch time, the undertrials are led away to a separate enclosure. Relatives and friends, in the meantime, pick up their rolls and sandwiches packed neatly in a Taj Club jute carry bag - yet another symbol of where they come from.
As Kanimozhi walks out of the court-room, an eager reporter tries to capture her on his cellphone camera. She flashes a smile and whispers in Tamil, politely telling him not to film her. Throughout the proceedings, Kanimozhi keeps a safe distance from A Raja. But that does not deter the former telecom minister from greeting her. During the lunch-break, Raja had asked Kanimozhi if she'd eaten. Post-lunch, she goes to sit with A Raja but not for long;DMK party workers whisk her away to her seat.
This real life court-room is a far cry from the drab and dreary images of court-scenes recreated in Bollywood films that have stuck in popular consciousness. The picture here portrays the new India where brands, politics, corporates, class, technology and corruption join in a heady mix.
And for those missing high-octane Bollywood style drama, there was a little humour too. As the arguments gathered momentum, the defence counsel at one point expressed his surprise and said: " I haven't heard this before. " The CBI counsel was quick to retort: "Kabhi nahin sune to aab sun lijiye (Hear it now if you haven't heard it before), " drawing muffled laughter across the room.
With the day's proceeding coming to an end, it's time for the undertrials to leave for Tihar jail. It is also time for hugs and goodbyes. Ramesh Chandra, patriarch of the Unitech group, consoles his son Sanjay saying it was all "destiny", perhaps enough spiritual material for his son to ponder in the loneliness of his prison cell.
No comments:
Post a Comment