The Allahabad High Court on Thursday acquitted Nupur and Rajesh Talwar in the infamous 2008 double murder case.
The court declared the Talwars innocent in the Aarushi murder case. "Aarushi's parents did not kill her," the court said. The couple had been awarded life sentence by a special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in Ghaziabad on November 26, 2013, a day after their conviction.
A division Bench of the high court comprising justices B K Narayana and A K Mishra had reserved its judgement on September 7 on the appeal filed by the dentist couple, fixing October 12 as the date for the verdict.
In May 2008, 14-year-old Aarushi had been found dead inside her bedroom at the Talwars' Noida residence with her throat slit. The needle of suspicion had initially moved towards 45-year-old Hemraj, who had gone missing, but his body had been recovered from the terrace of the house two days later.
Here is a timeline of events in the Aarushi Talwar double murder case since 2008 leading up to the verdict:
2008
May 16: Aarushi Talwar, 14, daughter of a dentist couple Rajesh and Nupur, is found dead with her throat slit in her bedroom at their Noida home. The family’s missing domestic help, Hemraj, becomes the prime suspect.
May 17: Hemraj is found dead on the terrace of the Talwars’ flat. The door of the terrace is found to be locked from inside.
May 18: Noida police’s preliminary investigation suggests the murders were conducted with surgical precision. An inside job is suspected.
May 23: Investigating agencies suspect a case of honour killing. Rajesh Talwar is arrested for the double murder.
May 31: The Noida Police hands over the case to CBI.
June 13: Rajesh Talwar's compounder Krishna is arrested. The domestic help of Rajesh Talwar’s friend and his neighbours are called for questioning.
June 20: CBI conducts Lie detection test on Rajesh Talwar.
July 12: Ghaziabad court gives bail to Rajesh Talwar after CBI fails to provide evidence. CBI calls it a “blind case”.
2009
September: Forensic reports show most of the evidence taken from the crime scene were tampered with.
2010
January 5: CBI seeks the court’s permission for a narco test on the Talwar couple.
February: Rajesh and Nupur Talwar undergo narco-analysis test between February 15 and 20
December 29: CBI files a closure report citing “insufficient evidence.” Rajesh Talwar remains prime suspects, but there is not enough evidence against him.
2011
January 25: Rajesh Talwar is attacked by one Utsav Sharma in the Ghaziabad court premises, suffers grievous injuries.
February 9: Ghaziabad court rejects CBI’s closure report. Court summons Rajesh and Nupur Talwar to face charges of murders.
February 21: The Talwar couple approaches the Allahabad High Court for quashing of trial court summons.
February 28: Special CBI court issues warrants against Rajesh and Nupur Talwar for not being present in the court.
March 18: The Allahabad HC dismisses the Talwars’ plea to quash the summons.
March 19: The couple approaches the Supreme Court.
2012
January: The Supreme Court dismisses Talwars’ plea and allows the trial to proceed. SC allows the bail granted by the lower court to Rajesh Talwar.
March: CBI argues in court for the cancellation of Rajesh Talwar’s bail.
2013
October: Final arguments begin in the court of Special Judge S Lal
November: CBI court convicts Rajesh and Nupur Talwar in the double-murder case.
2014
January: The couple moves the Allahabad High Court against life sentence ordered by the CBI court.
2017
January: The Allahabad High Court reserves its judgment in the plea challenging the couple’s conviction by CBI court in 2013.
October 12: The Allahabad High Court acquits Nupur and Rajesh Talwar