Chapter 13

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Bhaskar Ganguly stands up and says, "My Lord, my first witness is Nirupama Dewan."
Nirupama gets up the stands. She wears a cream chiffon saree, pairing it with a string of pearls in her neck and pearl earrings.
"So, Mrs Nirupama Dewan, how are you related to Sidharth Dewan?"
"I am his mother, step mother."
"How old was he when you came into his life?"
"He was just 10 years old."
"So you must know him well."
"Of course. I saw him grow into such a charming, handsome man. A mother knows her children the best."

Saivi whispers into Sidharth's ear, "When did she see you grow up? Apni parties se usse fursat kab mila? I hate her. She is calling herself our mother. How dare she!"
Sidharth had felt the same but he had kept his cool.
"Di, she is our mother. She has brought us up. She loves us."
Saivi stares at her brother surprised and he says, "And the Oscar goes to Nirupama Chowdhry. Really, she is a damn good actress. She is so good in her acting that I too believed her for a moment."
He smiles and Saivi too smiles back.

"When Saivi Mehra brought this man to Dewan house, were you present there? What happened then?"
"Yes, after the death of Sidharth, I had moved back to Dewan house. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw this man entering the mansion. He looked so much like our Sid. But I right away knew he wasn't him."
"How could you be so sure?"
"Except his looks, nothing of this guy matched Sidharth. I know they will say he wasn't well and all. But how can one person change so drastically? Sid was smart, intelligent and had an attitude. He on the other hand was scared, shy and.. feeble. Sidharth never sat on the floor but this guy on the first day sat down on the floor to eat. He started eating with his bare hands which Sid could never like. Sid wore only designer wear which were all expensive. However this dehati gawar didn't like them. I might not have given birth to him, however I was his mother, how couldn't I recognize him?"

"My Lord, Mrs.Nirupama has been a part of the upbringing of the Dewan siblings. She could say the best if this man here is really Sidharth Dewan or not. And she has clearly stated that he is not. A man can't change so much that he would forget all his habits.. Your witness."
Tanushree stands up and goes to the witness box.
"So, Mrs.Nirupama, you claim that you might not have given him birth but he is like your own son."
"Of course."

"For how many years had he lived in the Dewan house?"
"What do you mean? That was his house."
"I know but did he live there his whole life?"
"I moved out after Sourav passed away. I lived.."
"I didn't ask that. Fine, let me tell the court. My Lord, Sidharth Dewan was 10 years old when Sourav Dewan brought Mrs.Nirupama to the Dewan house as his wife. And after just a year and half, Sidharth was sent to Dehradun to a boarding school. He used to visit home only in summer vacations but that stopped after Saivi left Dewan house for her higher studies. He was never visited by Mrs.Nirupama who claims to love him like her own son."
"Objection My Lord! She can't tarnish the image of..."
"My Lord, I am just presenting the facts here. I can bring people who were the witness to everything I just said."

The judge says, "Overruled!"
"Thank you My Lord. Sidharth Dewan left for London after school and then moved to a Penthouse. I just want to state here that if a person didn't get to spend any time with someone how could she claim she knew him? And regarding the new habit, I would like to present the report of renowned psychiatrist, Dr. Rani Sahu. She mentions here that if a person is exposed to a certain condition for a long period, he or she gets accustomed to that habit. We already know, Sidharth lived with Gajendra Kumar for three years as Ratan Kumar, in a tiny home in a small village. He had no dining table or cutlery there. Obviously he used to be habituated with that. I have already presented Miss Shehnaaz 's statements where she had told the court that Sidharth in the village had shown a few glimpses of his habits, similar to Sidharth Dewan. So claiming that this man is not Sidharth Dewan based on his few habits is absurd."

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