Midnight's children: a novel by Salman Rushdie

Author:Salman Rushdie [Rushdie, Salman]
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Fiction, Unread
ISBN: 9780812976533
Publisher: Random House
Published: 2006-04-14T23:00:00+00:00

Ismail Ibrahim expounded: 'When the Commander received Dom Minto's report, he wanted to see for himself if it was true; and if so, to kill himself. He signed out the gun; it was for himself. He went to the Colaba address in a spirit of despair only; not as killer, but as dead man! But there - seeing his wife there, jury members! - seeing her half-clothed with her shameless lover! - jury members, this good man, this great man saw red. Red, absolutely, and while seeing red he did his deeds. Thus there is no premeditation, and so no murder in the first degree. Killing yes, but not cold-blooded. Jury members, you must find him not guilty as charged.'

And buzzing around the city was, 'No, too much ... Ismail Ibrahim has gone too far this time ... but, but ... he has got a jury composed mostly of

ABC Amber Text Converter Trial version, http://www.thebeatlesforever.com/processtext/abctxt.html women ...

and not rich ones ... therefore doubly susceptible, to the Commander's charm and the lawyer's wallet ... who knows? Who can tell?' The jury said, 'Not guilty.'

My mother cried, 'Oh wonderful! ... But, but: is it justice?' And thejudge, answering her: 'Using the powers vested in me, I reverse this absurd verdict. Guilty as charged.'

O, the wild furor of those days! When Naval dignitaries and bishops and other politicians demanded, 'Sabarmati must stay in the Navy jail pending High Court appeal. The bigotry of one judge must not ruin this great man!' And police authorities, capitulating, 'Very well.' The Sabarmati Case goes rushing upwards, hurtling towards High Court hearing at unprecedented speed

... and the Commander tells his lawyer, 'I feel as though destiny is no longer in my control; as though something has taken over ... let us call it Fate.'

I say: 'Call it Saleem, or Snotnose, or Sniffer, or Stainface; call it little-piece-of-the-moon.'

The High Court verdict: 'Guilty as charged.' The press headlines: SABARMATI FOR CIVIL JAIL AT LAST? Ismail Ibrahim's statement: 'We are going all the way! To the Supreme Court!' And now, the bombshell. A pronouncement from the State Chief Minister himself: 'It is a heavy thing to make an exception to the law; but in view of Commander Sabarmati's service to his country, I am permitting him to remain in Naval confinement pending the Supreme Court decision.'

And more press headlines, stinging as mosquitoes: STATE GOVERNMENT FLOUTS

LAW! SABARMATI SCANDAL NOW A PUBLIC DISGRACE ! ... When I realized that the press had turned against the Commander, I knew he was done for. The Supreme Court verdict: 'Guilty.'

Ismail Ibrahim said: 'Pardon! We appeal for pardon to the President of India!'

And now great matters are to be weighed in Rashtrapati Bhavan - behind the gates of President House, a man must decide if any man can be set above the law; whether the assassination of a wife's fancy-man should be set aside for the sake of a Naval career; and still higher things - is India to give her approval to the rule of

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