Book Review: Cross Examination of Chaff And Grain

Rarely, you come across pieces of brilliance which so intricately yet so simply weave complex patterns and mechanism in plain language visible to the naked eye. So is the charm of the book ‘Chaff and Grain’ by Senior Advocate Vivek Sood which in a mesmerising manner captures the conundrums in the criminal justice system of the country. 

Using a captivating approach of case analysis of murders mysteries like Aarushi Talwar, Jessica and Priyadarshini Matto, the book encourages the readers to walk through the crime scenes evaluating pieces of evidences through the lenses of the criminal attorney, witnessing not only what happened but also that didn’t, recounting lapsed evidences, making it a rollercoaster read. In a never seen before version of these stories, the author has coined the Term 'Malvestigation', recollecting the cases ruined by tardy and unscientific criminal investigation, leaving the burden on judges. I never knew I could draw an analogy between my mother in the backyard sieving the grains from the chaff to the Judges separating lies from the truth in testimonies and evidences in courtroom.

The Book in a light-hearted manner tries to address dilemmas of the criminal justice system with interesting chapters like, ‘Bail, Not Jail or Jail, Not Bail?’ and ‘Celebrating Fake Encounters: Bypassing the Criminal Justice System’ and is appealing to not just lawyers, professionals but is an activator for young minds interested in law or the justice delivery system of the country. 

To be honest who doesn’t like crime mysteries and a view from lenses of Senior Advocate Vivek Sood is lethally engrossing.