Aarushi murder case: How Talwars reacted after HC verdict

NEW DELHI: The Allahabad High Court on Thursday acquitted Rajesh and Nupur Talwar in the murder of their teenage daughter Aarushi and their domestic help Hemraj in 2008, saying they could not be held guilty on the basis of the evidence on record. The verdict ends a nine-year ordeal of the parents who were found guilty by a CBI court of murdering 14-year-old Aarushi. The couple had been awarded life sentence by a special CBI court in Ghaziabad in 2013. They had appealed against the decision. According to police, after court's verdict the couple said justice has finally been delivered. "Rajesh and Nupur Talwar were happy. They said that they have got justice," DR Maurya, Jailor, Dasna Jail, said. However, sources said Rajesh had a serious look on his face when he was informed about the verdict while Nupur broke down into tears. Both are kept in separate barracks. The court held that as per the circumstances and the evidence on record the dentist couple could not be held guilty. The acquittal of the Talwars has further deepened the mystery of the May 16-17, 2008 murders. Aarushi, a teenager, was found murdered in her bedroom in Noida's Jalvayu Vihar on May 16. The body of the domestic help Hemraj was found in a pool of blood a day later on the terrace of the house. The police then began to suspect the Talwars and said Rajesh had murdered the two after finding them in an "objectionable" position. The accusations enraged the Talwars and friends, who accused the police of framing the dentist couple in order to cover up a botched investigation. After widespread outrage, the case was transferred from the Uttar Pradesh Police to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) that exonerated the parents and suspected the Talwars' assistant Krishna along with two domestic servants, Rajkumar Sharma and Vijay Mandal. (With inputs from agencies)