New Delhi,January 07 :The Supreme Court on Friday asked dentist couple Rajesh and Nupur Talwar to stand trial three-and-a-half years after the murder of their daughter, Aarushi. The court dismissed Nupur’s plea to quash the trial court order, summoning them as accused in the case. Now, the Talwars will also be
tried for allegedly murdering their domestic help, Hemraj Banjade.Directing dentist couple Nupur and Rajesh Talwar to stand trial for the 2008 murder of their teenaged daughter Arushi and domestic help Hemraj in Noida, the Supreme Court today asked them that “a girl died under mysterious circumstances. Do you not want the trial to go on?”
The Talwars had approached the Supreme Court last year after the Allahabad High Court dismissed their review petitions against summons and initiation of criminal proceedings by a trial court in Ghaziabad.
Asking senior advocate Ranjit Kumar, appearing for Nupur, to argue his case today itself, the bench of Justices A K Ganguly and J S Khehar agreed with the trial court judge.
The bench said the trial court judge had indeed “applied his mind” and the decision to call the Talwars was not “haphazard”.
“Cognisance has been taken and not haphazardly but after considerable time. We feel constrained at this stage to not interfere in the matter. This court should show utmost restraint,” the bench observed.
On the intervening night of May 15-16, 2008, Aarushi was found dead with her throat slit in the family’s Noida home. Twenty-four hours later, the decomposed body of Hemraj — with similar injuries — was found on the terrace of the same house.
Though the Uttar Pradesh police arrested Rajesh on May 23, he was later granted bail, as the CBI did not oppose his plea. The agency took over the case on June 1 after the local police was criticised for “faulty probe”.
Two-and-half years later in 2010, the CBI filed a closure report to the special CBI court, pointing fingers at the Talwars, though it did not name them as accused due to lack of evidence.
The magistrate, however, declined to accept the closure report and issued summons against the couple. Nupur challenged the order before the high court that turned down the plea.
Rejecting the petition, an apex court bench, headed by Justice AK Ganguly, noted that it was a “waste of judicial time” to entertain Nupur’s petition. When Nupur’s counsel tried to argue on the merit of the case, the bench snubbed: “A young girl died under mysterious circumstances and you are the parents. Don’t go into gory details as it will go against you.”
Nupur, who was also present in the court, was visibly upset as the bench had in the very beginning expressed its reservation in interfering with the lower court order.
As soon as the bench started dictating the order, Nupur left the courtroom, as advised by her lawyer. Earlier, opposing the Talwars’ plea, the CBI said the Supreme Court should not interfere with the trial court order, as the conduct of the couple had been suspicious.
The agency noted that the couple had refused to give the key to the door leading to the terrace where Hemraj’s body was found. At this the bench asked from Nupur’s counsel: “Why did you not give the key? You should have cooperated in the investigation.”