‘The past 9 years were emotionally draining...We can now move forward’

NEW DELHI: At a flat Azad Apartment in south Delhi, the Talwar family followed the news closely awaiting the fate of Aarushi’s parents, Rajesh and Nupur. It was at this flat that the couple had moved to after the murder, till their arrest in 2013 after being convicted by a special CBI court.

As reporters stood outside the apartment since morning, there was no word from the family. Would they speak to the media? What if the Allahabad High Court too found the couple guilty? Most residents entering the building said, “The relatives do not want to jinx the verdict by giving interviews.”

A few minutes after 2.45pm, when the high court acquitted the couple, there was a message: Aarushi’s aunt Vandana Talwar would brief the media. Vandana, a doctor, is the wife of Rajesh’s elder brother Dinesh.

At 4.16pm, Vandana came down from her third floor flat, along with Aarushi’s maternal grandfather, retired group captain BG Chitnis. The two were escorted by friends and relatives.

“The past nine years were emotionally draining. We are tired. We thank the court for this relief and the injustice meted out to Rajesh and Nupur. We are happy we can now move forward. We want to thank all those who supported us – emotionally, physically. There were many we did not know who continued believing in us. Some even supported financially,” Vandana said.

When asked if they would seek a probe to find out who killed Aarushi, the family refused comment. “You will have to talk to my lawyers. They are ... in a better position to answer this,” she said.

BG Chitnis said, “I have seen them suffer. At this age it was tiring for me to see my daughter Nupur and her husband put behind bars for a crime they did not commit. It was emotionally draining... We are deeply relieved and grateful to God for the verdict. It has been an exhausting journey for us. We have suffered in the last almost 10 years. We are grateful to the high court …. We also thank the hundreds and thousands who did not know us for supporting us.”

The couple are likely to return to this apartment after their release. A security guard said, “It will be a very happy Diwali for the family. But did the court say who killed that little girl?”

I do not know if this is the final verdict in the case or not, but it is definitely the correct verdict. No one can be kept in jail on murder charges without adequate evidence against them. MEGHNA GULZAR, Director of the 2015 movie ‘Talvar’