The Allahabad High Court is likely to pronounce its verdict on Thursday on an appeal filed by dentist couple, Rajesh and Nupur Talwar, challenging their conviction for the murder of their teenage daughter Aarushi and domestic help Hemraj.
Life sentence
The couple were convicted for the double murder and sentenced to life imprisonment by a special Central Bureau of Investigation court in Ghaziabad in November 2013.
They were also convicted for destruction of evidence with common intent, while Rajesh was additionally convicted of giving false statement to police.
A Division Bench comprising Justices A.K. Mishra and B.K. Narayana had on January 11 reserved its judgment on the appeal filed by the doctor couple. However, the court decided to hear the appeals afresh due to contradictions in some submissions made by the CBI and resumed the hearing in August. The court thereafter reserved its judgment to be pronounced on October 12.
Found dead
Aarushi Talwar, 14, was found dead with her throat slit in her bedroom in flat no. L-32 Jalvayu Vihar in Noida on May 16, 2008. The body of the family’s domestic help, Hemraj, who was initially suspected of her murder, was found in a pool of blood on the terrace of the flat the following day. The door of the terrace was found locked from inside.
The case was handed over to the CBI after the Noida police were criticised for a botched up investigation, leading to the loss of crucial forensic evidence.
Impeccable conclusion
In his judgment in 2013, special CBI judge S. Lal said that from the evidence tendered by the prosecution, this “court reaches to the irresistible and impeccable conclusion that only the accused persons [Talwars] are responsible for committing this ghastly crime.”
The trial court had also ruled that there was no evidence to show that any outsider came inside the house after 9.30 p.m. on the night of the murder or that there was any forcible entry in the flat.
The counsel for the Talwars had argued that the case against them had been based entirely on circumstantial evidence and that they were innocent.
Tanveer Ahmed Mir, counsel for the Talwars, said the trial court verdict was riddled with “numerous infirmities” and that evidence was not properly appreciated.
