The Supreme Court approved “in camera” hearings in the Aarushi Talwar murder trial, now on in a Ghaziabad court, to “uphold the majesty of the law” and keep in mind the “sensitivities” of Aarushi’s parents, dentist couple Rajesh and Nupur Talwar, made suspected accused in the CBI’s closure report.
The court took serious note of Talwars’ “insinuations” against Ghaziabad judicial magistrate Preeti Singh, who will hear pre-charge arguments against them, but it was equally “sensitive” to their sentiments on unwarranted “interference, or interruption” during the trial by outside forces, including the media.
Last week’s detailed order by Justices B.S. Chauhan and K.S. Khehar, released Saturday, noted the magistrate’s January 25, 2011 order barring the media and other “unconnected” people from entering the court, and ordered this be strictly implemented. “We reiterate that the order ‘shall’ be enforced in letter and spirit. In case of breach, we expect the magistrate to take... coercive measures, if necessary, to enforce (it),” the bench said. The judges objected to aspersions against the magistrate cast by the Talwars in their petition seeking transfer of the case to a Delhi court (which was denied), alleging she was hearing the case with a “premeditated” mind and was “biased”, saying: “We wish to caution the petitioners (Talwars) from making any irresponsible insinuations.” If they were not satisfied with the trial court’s order, the proper course would be to “assail” it before a higher court, but the law did not permit them to cast aspersions on the court itself.