Criminal Justice: A Family Matter Ending Explained & Finale Recap: Who Killed Roshni Saluja?

The ending episode of the Pankaj Tripathi starrer Criminal Justice: A Family Matter, titled “The Higher Law,” is a testament to how compelling the storyline has become in the last two episodes. With Madhav Mishra’s reputation hanging in the balance and the mystery surrounding Roshni Saluja’s murder taking center stage, this finale emerges as the season’s most compelling episode, brimming with twists and turns that keep you guessing about the killer’s identity while also exploring a deeper theme beneath the mystery. Each person clings to their own version of the truth, while the real truth remains buried beneath the fear and desperation. In the end, it all rests on the shoulders of the everyman messiah to drag justice into the light, and as you can guess, he delivers.

Spoilers Ahead

Why does Madhav request a mistrial?

Mandira begins her questioning with Anju Nagpal on the stand, and the outcome of the verdict hangs on her testimony. The way the makers hyped Mandira to be one of the best practicing lawyers in the biz, her line of questioning and overall aura only diminish the intensity of the series. However, she raises a moral question about how her client, Anju, sacrificed her own career to care for Ira. Anju herself tells the court that when she went to Raj’s house and saw him holding Roshni in his arms, what he might really have been asking was for her to save him. Then comes Lekha, all guns blazing, trying to get Anju to admit that she helped Raj wipe the murder weapon clean to avoid conviction, something only a criminal lawyer would have the mind to orchestrate. But Madhav Mishra doesn’t waste any time to explain the medicine found in the trash bag, which also had the murder weapon. The medicine is used to control high sugar levels in diabetic patients, and none of the members of the Nagpal family were diabetic. Someone had been mixing this medicine into the lactose-free milk Ira drank every morning, deliberately keeping her sick. Giving this medicine to a non-diabetic person, especially a kid, leads to headache, disorientation, seizure, and even stroke. Now the suspicion can be on Anju or Roshni, the deceased caregiver. Anju had a motive, as Ira’s illness gave her an excuse to visit her and go to Raj’s place more and more. Madhav declares it a shockingly poor job by both the police and the prosecution, who were all too ready to sacrifice Raj at the altar of convenience. As the defense counsel, Madhav petitions the court for a mistrial, arguing that only a fresh investigation conducted without bias will bring the real truth to light.

What’s the secret Anju shared with Ira?

To stop the case from going to mistrial, Anju whispers something to Mandira. Soon after, Mandira is in the judge’s chamber with Madhav and Lekha, while the judge decides whether to proceed with the case or call it a mistrial. Mandira asks the judge to let the trial continue, arguing that Ira is still in the courthouse and can be called to testify, as she was present at the scene when the murder happened. Apparently, she’s medically fit to testify, and the judge clears the courtroom and accepts that Ira should testify. Madhav knew that Ira and Anju had some sort of secret between them, and he made Ira reveal a secret handshake she had with her mother. Since Ira can’t say it openly, Madhav requests the court to wire Anju with a mic so that everyone can hear the whispered secrets. Ira admits to her mother that she had asked Anju not to reveal that it was she who broke Raj’s award with the scalpel, a fact that proves Anju was indeed in the house on the morning Roshni was murdered. 

Who killed Roshni Saluja?

Anju admits that she found Roshni mixing the medicine into Ira’s milk, and she couldn’t believe the person she trusted her kid with could do such a horrible thing. Anju also points out that Roshni’s behavior towards Ira and everyone else completely changed after she had to abort, and this is another one of her ways to take revenge on the Nagpal family. Roshni wanted the family to suffer for silencing her and making her kill her unborn child, and as it turns out, you can’t just throw money at every sin and expect it to disappear. Anju tried to snatch the medicine from Roshni, and they got into a tussle. The award was already broken, and Roshni cleaned the floor, and she grabbed the scalpel to stop Anju from coming closer. In the heat of the moment, Anju wrested the scalpel from Roshni’s hand, but amidst the struggle, she accidentally slit Roshni’s throat. The court acquits Raj Nagpal of all charges and indicts Anju Nagpal for murder and criminal conspiracy. 

Did Madhav Mishra get played the whole time?

Madhav Mishra once again snatches victory from the jaws of defeat, and everyone makes sure he and his team get their well-deserved flowers. Shivani, too, gets her moment of validation from Mandira—who still finds it amusing to call Madhav a fluke artist, even though all she really did was linger in the shadows while Lekha and Madhav fought it out in the courtroom. Anyway, when Raj Nagpal visits Madhav for one last time to pay him for his services, he reveals that Anju is suffering from stage four pancreatic cancer. This makes Madhav wonder if Anju deliberately took the fall, knowing she didn’t have much time left to live. He pays Anju a visit in the hospital and asks her for the truth. Anju decides to mess with him a little and tells him that he’s still fighting the case even though he’s already won it. But she does admit that it was Raj who found Roshni mixing the meds, and the chain of events Anju described was the truth, except for the fact that the murderer was Raj, not her. She knew that even if she admitted to the murder right away, the law wouldn’t forgive Raj, and her daughter would have to suffer for their mistakes. Anju, a former criminal lawyer herself, used Madhav Mishra to build the case against Raj, only to reveal at the end that she was the real culprit, ensuring Raj could walk free and take care of their daughter. For the first time in his career as a lawyer, another lawyer has outsmarted Madhav. He credits her for being such a worthy opponent, unaware that she was secretly on his side the entire time. All the while, she managed to deceive Madhav and the entire judiciary system, hiding the fact that she’s dying of stage four cancer. Madhav takes his leave, and though he had recorded the entire conversation, he chooses to delete it, accepting defeat for the greater good of giving an autistic child the chance to grow up with a parent who could truly change her life.

The convicted murderer, Anju, was arguably the least at fault in this entire saga. A career woman forced to give up her professional life to stay home and raise a child with special needs, she then had to watch helplessly as her husband fell for Roshni. Anju moved out of the apartment, living in solitude while Raj and Roshni built a life together. In her final days, she was left to clean up the mess Raj created by bringing another woman into their lives and then accidentally killing her.

On the surface, it may seem like Roshni paid the highest price for falling for a married, wealthy man she thought would protect her. But in truth, Anju’s life had been steeped in quiet misery for far too long. Raj and his mother, armed with privilege and money, took whatever they wanted from life. Meanwhile, it was the women who got involved with this family who paid the ultimate price. In the end, Raj and his mother get to resume life with Ira as if nothing happened—a fresh start reserved, once again, for the privileged man.

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