Dentist couple broke down after acquittal'

New Delhi: The dentist couple, Nupur and Rajesh Talwar, on Thursday waited anxiously in Dhasna jail for the Allahabad high court verdict which let them off in the double murder case of their daughter Arushi and maid servant Hemraj in Noida in May 2008.

All through the day, jail sources said, Dr Talwar kept himself glued to the TV set by flipping news channels to get the latest updates on his petition challenging the conviction order of the special CBI court, his wife was seen offering prayers in her barrack. The dentist couple, it is reliably learnt, broke down when the news channels flashed that they had been let off by the two-judge bench of the Allahabad court.   

“Tears rolled down from Rajesh Talwar’s eyes. He did not speak to anyone for some time. And he finally broke down,” a jail official told this newspaper. “Same was the case with Nupur. She, too, broke down when she came to know her appeal has been accepted by the division bench.”

Dhasna jail superintendent D.R. Maurya, who visited Rajesh, said, “When we went to meet him, he hugged me and burst into tears. He said that justice has been delivered. Now, we are waiting for the certified copy of the verdict to start the release process of the dentist couple. We have done all other arrangements. They will be escorted under security to their home in Delhi.”

Outside Dhasna jail, one could spot crews of several TV news channels with the hope that in case Talwars were released, they could hear a word or two from them. But all in vain as the jail authorities informed them that the couple would be released only after seeking due permission of the court on Friday.

Soon after the Allahabad court verdict, Aarushi Talwar’s grandfather Group Captain B.G. Chitnis (Retd) VSM told a news channel that he was thankful to the judiciary for giving a positive verdict... “It has been a stressful life since Aarushi Talwar has passed away... I am grateful for the acquittal of Rajesh and Nupur Talwar... Allow us to absorb the news. We always knew they weren’t guilty.”

Vandana Talwar, Aarushi’s aunt, said the entire family had suffered for nearly a decade as the case dragged on. “It was very exhausting and trying,” she said.

She refused to go into the merits of the case and the judgement, saying the couple’s lawyers would answer questions on who killed Aarushi and their domestic help Hemraj.

“We are deeply grateful to the judiciary...  I would like to thank all the supporters who supported us through the long ordeal,” she said. Prior to the pronouncement of the judgement, both Vandana and Arushi’s uncle refused to make any comment on the possible court judgement.

“We are simply keeping our fingers crossed. Let the court pronounce its verdict on our appeal against the conviction order, then only we will comment on the matter.”