In some reprieve to dentist couple Rajesh and Nupur Talwar, supposed to appear as accused before the trial court in Ghaziabad in the mysterious murder of their teenaged daughter Aarushi and domestic help Hemraj as per the Supreme Court’s earlier order, the Supreme Court on Friday permitted them to seek adjournment of the case before the trial court.
A bench of Justices B.S. Chauhan and J.S. Khehar also said that the CBI would also seek an adjournment of the hearing before the trial judge while issuing notice to the probe agency on a petition of Talwars seeking transfer of the case to a Delhi court.
The top court directed the CBI to submit its reply on the transfer petition within four weeks. The transfer was sought by the couple on the ground that almost all the 60 witnesses cited by the CBI are from Delhi. Besides, they cited threat to their lives as another reason for seeking the transfer of the case, citing an attack with knife on Rajesh Talwar by a man in Ghaziabad court complex last year.
The Supreme Court earlier had dismissed the petitions of the couple against the Allahabad high court and the trial judge’s order taking cognisance of the CBI’s closure report by converting it into the chargesheet against them, saying that there were “prima facie” evidence to proceed with their trial for the double murder. However, the top court in its January 19 order had said that Rajesh Talwar would continue to be on bail granted to him in July 2008 by the special judge at Ghaziabad.
The main ground for making the couple as accused by the trial court was that when the mysterious double murder took place at their Noida apartment on May 16, 2008, only four persons were present there — the parents, Aarushi and their domestic help Hemraj.