SC ADMITS PLEA IN AARUSHI CASE, TALWARS GET NOTICE

NEW DELHI : The Supreme Court on Monday admitted an appeal against the acquittal of dentist couple Rajesh and Nupur Talwar in the 2008 twin murder case of their daughter Aarushi and domestic help Hemraj. The plea was filed by Khumkala Banjade, the wife of Hemraj. A bench headed by Justice Ranjan Gogoi issued notice to the dentist couple, who were acquitted by the Allahabad high court in the twin murder case.

NEW DELHI : The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear an appeal against the acquittal of dentist couple Rajesh and Nupur Talwar in the murder of their daughter, Aarushi, and their domestic help, Hemraj.

The appeal was filed by Hemraj’s wife, Khumkala Banjade. The Allahabad high court had acquitted the Talwars on October 10 last year.

Court also summoned the case record from the trial court. Banjade had filed an appeal on December 15 last year against the Talwars’ acquittal in the case. Later, the CBI also filed an appeal against their acquittal.

A bench led by Justice Ranjan Gogoi condoned the delay in filing the appeal and also granted leave while admitting it.

As per the SC rules, once a petition is admitted then the court gives it a detailed hearing, providing sufficient opportunity to both sides to present their case.

Arguments are advanced on settled questions of law and a comprehensive judgment follows the hearing. Admitted cases are usually heard by regular benches. Currently, criminal appeals filed in 2014 and 2015 are being heard.

Banjade has claimed in her appeal that the HC order meant no one committed the twin murder in 2008, and has sought the guilty must be punished. Hemraj worked as a domestic help with the Talwars. His body was found a day after the couple discovered the body of their daughter.

Challenging the verdict, Banjade said it was the responsibility of the government to ensure that the culprit was brought to book as society would not be secure if no one was punished.

Prosecuting agency CBI’s appeal, however, is yet to be heard by the apex court. Lawyers involved in preparing the appeal said CBI is yet to cure defects pointed out by the court registry.

CBI has said the HC had erred in reversing the well-reasoned order of a Ghaziabad trial court which had scrutinised the entire gamut of circumstantial evidence and “rightly applied” the “last seen with” theory in convicting the Talwar couple.

The CBI court sentenced the Talwars to life imprisonment on November 26, 2013 .

On October 12, 2017 the HC reversed the conviction, saying they could not be held guilty on the basis of the evidence on record.