Black Warrant (ब्लैक वॉरंट)

Do you know what a black warrant is?

Yes, sir.

It's another term for a death warrant.

The court order specifying a person's execution

is informally referred to as a black warrant.

Do you know

that after signing a black warrant, the judge breaks the nib of their pen?

Yes, sir.

Why?

Come in.

He's the one, sir.

I see.

So, you're the reason the last SP lost his job.

Sit.

Yes.

- Do you want to return to work? - Yes, sir.

Why?

Is the jail struggling because you're not around?

- No, sir. It's not struggling. - Then?

Sir, the black warrants for Ranga-Billa

are all over the newspapers.

Their hanging will attract a lot of attention,

and the media will have many questions.

To give the right answers, you need someone who understands legal jargon.

What could go wrong during a hanging that would require media management?

Sir--

- Tomar sahab? - Anything could happen, sir.

The hangmen come from far away.

They could be kidnapped along the way,

or a furious relative of the inmate might try to kill them.

Even our lives are in danger.

Another possibility is that

one of the two prisoners might attempt suicide.

That would delay the hanging.

And if the hanging is delayed,

the government will come after us instead.

Think about it.

- You sure you want to come back? - Yes, sir.

All right.

Assign him to hanging duty.

If everything goes smoothly, his job is secure.

- Thank you, sir. - Mr. Executioner?

Sir.

Do you know of Pratibha Sen?

Sorry, sir. No, sir.

She's a renowned journalist.

Even the PM and the President read her articles.

Madam wants to interview Billa and Ranga.

She has come with a Supreme Court order to make sure we can't stop her.

She's your responsibility.

An execution is a jail's most critical test.

There haven't been any hangings in Tihar for the past five years.

One mistake…

and the media will devour us.

You two…

will help Sunil.

Tighten the security.

Keep an eye on everyone and trust no one.

Understood, sir. Ranga and Billa don't have the balls to do anything.

Don't get too overconfident!

A dying man will do anything for a chance at life.

Sahab has come to see you.

Namaste, sahab.

Namaste.

I'm Ranga.

Ranga Khush.

And that's Billa.

The one responsible for all of this.

Hey, asshole!

Stop crying!

Quiet!

The executioners, Kalu and Fakira, will arrive two days before the hanging.

They're the superstars of Indian jails.

Rajesh Khanna and Dilip Kumar.

Make sure they are well taken care of.

- Yes, sir. - Good.

Inform the families of Ranga and Billa about the execution date,

but don't say anything to those two.

Sir?

Ranga and Billa must not be told anything.

Yes, sir.

Pratibha Sen.

She will bombard you with a thousand questions.

"How did Ranga-Billa spend their time in Tihar?"

“How were they treated in jail?”

"Did they ever face torture in jail?"

Don't get swayed by her.

She'll try to manipulate you. You manipulate her instead.

If Ranga-Billa, you, or anyone else gives her anything worth printing…

Ranga-Billa will eventually go to the gallows.

But first, I'll hang you.

I'll handle it, sir.

I'll handle it, sir.

THE GALLOWS

Hello, madam.

ASP Sunil Gupta.

Pratibha Sen.

Madam, who doesn't know you?

Even the PM and the President read what you write.

We have noted your request, and I'll get you your interview.

How are the preparations going on?

Good. Good, madam.

It's a lot of work, but it's…

going well.

And how are Ranga and Billa holding up?

Have you taken their dying testimonies?

Sorry, madam?

Dying testimonies.

Do they express regrets?

Accept their crimes?

Why don't you put all your questions in writing? I will respond.

When will I write the questions, and when will you answer them?

Can't you just tell me now?

I'm sorry, madam, but we must follow protocol.

Okay. When will we conduct the interview?

Madam…

why would you speak to people like Ranga and Billa?

People like them?

You know what I mean, madam.

I just want to talk to Ranga and Billa to know where they are.

Emotionally, mentally, before we…

you kill them.

- We're carrying out a punishment. - By hanging them?

It's a court decision, made after a complete legal process.

- Is that so? - Yes.

Why do judges break the nib of their pen

when they sign an execution order?

Ranga and Billa deny many of the charges against them.

Ranga has been appealing for years

with the backing of his mother and brother.

If Billa had access to money, he would do the same.

Are you suggesting that they're innocent?

Mr. Sunil Kumar Gupta.

This whole case is based on their confessions.

They later withdrew those confessions,

claiming they were tortured.

Madam, please submit all your questions in writing,

and we'll send our response.

Maybe they are lying.

But if there's even a slight chance of doubt,

don't you want to know the complete truth?

- Sir. - What happened?

Sir, she was asking a lot of twisted questions.

I asked her to put them in writing so I can answer them properly, sir.

Good.

Sir, can we hire a typist?

It will help us prepare responses for the media.

Pick someone from B-class.

You'll find people from all kinds of professions here.

Sir.

Pratibha Sen spoke about taking some dying testimonies--

Who cares?

Hang them and be done with it.

Hello?

Have I called Tihar yet again?

I'm Priya. You?

Have you called for some work, Priya?

What work would I have at Tihar?

Then why do you keep calling?

We recently installed a new telephone at home,

so I started dialing random numbers.

By sheer luck, I called Tihar the other day

and spoke to you for the first time.

Look, I have work to do. I can't talk right now.

- Some other time-- - What do you do?

I'm a jailer.

Assistant Superintendent of Prison.

Oh my!

So, is Ranga-Billa's hanging part of your responsibilities?

Yes.

It's under my supervision.

Are you nervous?

No.

You must have seen them.

Are they scary?

No.

Why do you keep giving one-word answers?

No. I mean…

No, they are not scary. They…

They are prisoners, not monsters.

Do you even know what they did?

Yes, of course. Everyone knows.

So, how can you say they're not monsters?

Actually…

Tell me quickly. Each second costs money.

Priya, the truth is

my family has always avoided discussions of death and violence at home,

so we didn't really speak about this.

That's why I don't know the full story.

Look, no one knows the whole truth.

What is known is that the children were to appear on a radio program that evening.

Rushing to reach Akashwani Bhawan, they asked for a lift.

Yes, but they shouldn't have asked strangers for a lift.

Back then, Delhi was considered safe.

For something like this to happen in broad daylight,

right in the middle of the streets, was unimaginable.

That day changed everything.

Sixteen-year-old Geeta and fourteen-year-old Sanjay

had no idea what kind of men gave them a lift that day.

Ranga and Billa gave wildly conflicting statements in court