Still recuperating in the immune environment her parents have painstakingly created for her, the details of the four-year-old case are not important for the family. ``We have tried very hard to put the past behind us,'' says Savita. ``We don't talk about the incident any more. It is never discussed at home. If any of us sat down to think of how Dipti was or looked before the incident, going on with life would be impossible,'' she told Express Newsline.

The Khannas' Anand Nagar residence in Vile Parle is a forbidden place for anybody who wants totalk about the July 1995 acid attack. The watchman knows the drill. The Khannas are not at home for all concerned and people are allowed into the building only after the Khannas have okayed it.

However, in the crowded lane outside, the case is still talked about. In hushed tones, residents of the colony, the general store owner and the vegetable vendor discuss the judgement. ``From what we've heard, the main accused has been let off,'' says a resident of the colony. ``It is just not fair. For four years we have seen what the family has been through and to let the accused off so easily... It is really sad.''

``As far as we are concerned, we never even filed the case,'' Savita adds. ``We don't go to court. The only time we went was when Dipti had to take the stand. There is nothing we can do about the judgement, can we?''

Instead, the family is going back to living life the way they used to, before July 1995. After spending a year in hospital and another three being wheeled in and out of the operationtheatre, Dipti is slowly picking up the threads. Escorted by her mother, she has only just returned to college. She has also started studying for her final examination, the one she was supposed to take four years ago. ``This will be the easier test for my daughter," Savita told Express Newline.