CBI moves Supreme Court over Talwars' acquittal

New Delhi: The CBI on Thursday approached the Supreme Court against the recent acquittal of Rajesh and Nupur Talwar in the twin murder cases of their daughter Aarushi and domestic help Hemraj in 2008 by the Allahabad high court.

Sources in the agency said, “The Union Law ministry had earlier advised the Central probe agency to file a special leave petition in the Supreme Court challenging the Allahabad high court’s decision in the Aarushi-Hemraj double murder case. Based on the advise given by the Union law ministry and prosecution wing of the CBI, the agency filed an appeal in the apex court challenging the verdict of the Allahabad high court in the case.”

The high court had acquitted Rajesh and Nupur Talwar in the double murder case. Hemraj’s wife had also moved the Supreme Court challenging the acquittal of the dentist couple by the high court.

“Neither the circumstances nor the evidence was enough to hold them (Talwars) guilty,” the high court had said in its order. In its 273-page verdict acquitting the dentist couple, the high court had said the prosecution “miserably failed” to prove that the Talwars had destroyed material evidence.

On October 12 last year, a bench of Justice B.K. Narayana and Justice A.K. Mishra of the Allahabad high court had acquitted the dentist couple by giving them the benefit of doubt in the murder of Aarushi and Hemraj at their Jalvayu Vihar home in Noida on May 16, 2008.

The CBI had filed a closure report before a Ghaziabad trial court in December 2010. Although the agency did not name the dentist couple as the accused, it pointed to their possible involvement. On February 9, 2011, a special judicial magistrate rejected the CBI’s closure report. The dentist couple was accused for murder and destruction of evidence. Their appeals against the magistrate’s orders were rejected. The couple was held guilty by the trial court on November 26, 2013.