Subhash K Jha (DNA; September 27, 2017)

The Delhi High Court has acquitted Mahmood Farooqui of the rape charge that was slapped on him in June 2015. Mahmood’s wife, filmmaker, theatre personality and activist Anusha Rizvi, who has firmly maintained that her husband is innocent of the charge can hardly believe what has happened. “Mahmood’s freedom came so suddenly, we were just not prepared for it. I am still with our lawyers. There is a lot of paperwork to be done.”

Justice has prevailed
So what are her thoughts? “I always maintained my husband was innocent. I know what the truth is. All I’ll say is, justice has prevailed. My husband and I have finally got the verdict we deserved. But what about the thousands who languish in jail without the resources, means, or remedy of finding justice?”

Innocent convicts
Anusha’s husband’s incarceration gave her the chance to meet many innocent convicts. “There are women in jail for years and years. They have done no wrong. They don’t know why they are in prison. They are innocent. But they don’t know how to prove it. It is frightening and sobering.”

Spreading the message
Anusha wants to work with innocent prisoners. “During his incarceration, my husband began a newspaper Tihar Khabar, which informs inmates of their judicial and legal rights. I’ve also been performing my husband’s theatre plays carrying the message of crime and justice to the furthest corners. It has not been a time of resignation and surrender to despair for me.”

Freedom at last
At the moment Anusha is trying to come to terms with the altered circumstances in her life. “Till recently, I was focused entirely on Mahmood’s freedom. Suddenly, now, my husband is a free man. The fact is yet to sink in.”