Those court scenes!

Back then, as children, we watched the Sunday evening film on TV. It was a family ritual that was rarely missed. The most riveting films were the ones that ended in a court scene.

The plot was well known. The hero had been unfairly implicated in a crime while the villain went scot-free. The court scene was the final denouement when the hero’s fate would be decided. The proceedings followed a familiar pattern. When a witness came to the caged dock, he first swore on oath- “Whatever I say is the truth and shall say nothing but the truth!”.

Witnesses fumbled over words so that the entire audience was in splits. The judge was a serious man. He used a wooden hammer to strike down the commotion with shouts of “Order! Order!” That was enough to quieten the audience.

The prosecution lawyer spewed venom. As far as he was concerned, it was an “open and shut case” and the hero was undoubtedly guilty. The British may have left the country decades ago, but lawyers continued to address the judge as “Your Honour” and “My Lord”! Witnesses addressed the judge in the vernacular as “judge saab”.

It was now the defense lawyer’s turn. He appeared ineffective, but slowly built-up the tempo. Sometimes, he started with irrelevant questions for the witness. This angered the prosecution lawyer who protested, “Objection Your Honour! My client is questioned on details that have nothing to do with the case!” The judge mostly replied, “Objection overruled!” and gave rope to the defense. Witnesses had to answer all kinds of questions related to what they were doing on a particular night, several years ago. Surprisingly, they recalled and answered!

Soon, the camera panned to the statue of Lady Judgement carrying a balance in her hand! The twist in the case was brewing. The defense lawyer summoned a particular witness. There was a collective gasp from the audience as if the dead had come back alive! This old lady held the key to the entire puzzle.

Finally, the judge read the verdict, “Having examined all the pieces of evidence, we reach the following conclusion- the hero is innocent, the villain is guilty and shall be awarded the severest punishment!” A last-ditch effort by the villain to escape was thwarted by an alert policeman.

At the end of the film, there were details that I didn’t follow. I tried to get them clarified from my sister. Her answers were cryptic and left me more confused. But you got the big picture. The hero was a free man and joined the heroine in a two-seater car. They drove out into the sunset and lived happily ever after. Life was that simple!