Villagers breathed a collective sigh of relief tonight (14th April) as Emmerdale’s resident villain Meena Jutla (Paige Sandhu) was found guilty in court. But the drama was far from over as she gained the upper hand in one final twist.
The verdict came after a difficult week for Meena’s sister Manpreet Sharma (Rebecca Sarker) and Liam Cavanagh (Jonny McPherson), who found themselves painted as unreliable witnesses.
Ahead of the verdict, Manpreet had a tense chat with Carol Butler (Laura Pitt-Pulford), who was devastated that whatever happened next, there would be no justice for her sister Nadine, whose death Meena hasn’t been held accountable for. Carol was then seen angrily smashing a mirror in the toilets.
Meanwhile, as he waited for news, Liam told wife Leyla (Roxy Shahidi) that one way or another, he would make sure Meena paid for killing his daughter Leanna.
Thankfully, Liam was overwhelmed to hear Meena declared guilty for her crimes – but Meena was outraged over the decision, immediately shouting in protest.
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Carol then approached Meena, confronting her for what she did to Nadine. Meena cruelly branded Nadine’s death a suicide, and Carol attacked her with a shard of glass from the mirror.
Meena was then seen unconscious on the floor – but when Manpreet went to check on her, she was immediately captured by Meena, who was unharmed except for a minor cut above her eye. She used the abandoned shard to threaten Manpreet’s life, demanding that everyone in court now play by her rules.
She ordered Liam to stand in the witness box so she could question him, and told Charles Anderson (Kevin Mathurin) to film the proceedings on his phone.
She thoroughly enjoyed having people at her mercy once more, bragging that she was actually a saviour who took the power back for women everywhere. “Je suis Batman!” she declared in one memorable line.
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But this didn’t stop Meena from delivering a vile description of Leanna’s murder, giving Liam answers while traumatising him further in the process.
Eventually, Meena took Manpreet towards the exit, confident that her new ‘pal’, prison guard Ian Beeker (Dean Smith) had unlocked the doors for her. But she was incensed to discover that Ian hadn’t done what she asked.
Just as Manpreet hoped that Meena was finally cornered, the evil villain delivered one last bombshell – a jealous Meena had murdered their dying father before Manpreet had a chance to say goodbye.
Through her horror, Manpreet was given a chance to end Meena’s life when she took the weapon from her hands – but she refused, stating that she was nothing like her sick sibling.
As the police dragged Meena away, she screamed: “This is not how it ends!” Manpreet cried as she replied: “Yes it is, sis!”
And with that, Meena’s fun was all over. But the powerful performances from actors Sandhu and Sarker certainly won’t be forgotten!
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