The Aarushi Talwar murder case on Monday reached the Supreme Court yet again with the wife of domestic help Hemraj challenging the acquittal of the dentist couple by the Allahabad High Court.
The apex court admitted the appeal filed by Khumkala Banjade, the widow of Hemraj, domestic help of the Talwars who was killed along with Aarushi on the fateful day in May 2008. His body was later discovered from the terrace of the Noida flat where the Talwars resided.
Both Nupur and Rajesh Talwar will now respond to the appeal filed by Hemraj’s wife. The Bench headed by Justice Ranjan Gogoi was informed that the investigating agency — Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) too has filed an appeal challenging the order of acquittal of the dentist couple that came on October 12 last year.
This is the second round of litigation concerning this case in the apex court. In the first round, the dentist couple had questioned the decision of the trial court to reopen investigations after the CBI filed a closure report. A special CBI court in Ghaziabad sentenced the Talwars to life imprisonment on November 26, 2013, following which the case travelled to Allahabad High Court. Following the HC order, the dentist couple was set free from Dasna Jail.
With their acquittal, questions arose over the mysterious deaths - both of the 14-year-old girl and the domestic help. What intrigued the investigators was the absence of any eyewitnesses, no forced entry or entrance of any third party into the house. The body of Aarushi was found in her bedroom while that of 45-year old Hemraj was discovered from the terrace.
Although initial suspicion fell on Hemraj, the discovery of his body two days later from the terrace led the UP Police to investigate the involvement of the couple. later, when CBI took over the botched up probe following which they narrated the possible motive and incident of crime in its closure report, paving way for the trial court to revive the case.