On Wednesday, when the court pronounces sentence on Nanda and the other accused, the trio would be far from the court — Phool Devi with her vegetable cart, Pawan hawking newspapers to supplement his mother’s income, and Poonam busy with studies (she is doing a vocational course from Open School). Nine years after their life was derailed, the three are “least bothered” about what happens to Nanda now. “All we want now is to get back to our work and studies,” Poonam, now 16, says. “They should have punished him (Nanda) years ago. Why are you raking up the issue now?”

Phool Devi says reassurances from the police department, which poured in after the accident, did not translate into concrete aid. She says the compensation from Suresh Nanda, Sanjeev’s father, initially helped the family but the monthly interest received from the fixed deposit was too little to support the children’s education.

“Now my children are grown up; all I want is that they study and get good jobs,” she says.

Will the family be at court on Wednesday? “I can’t leave work and go to court,” the mother says. “Who will sell the vegetables and get money for our daily expenses then? We don’t expect any help now.”