Aarushi Talwar: India parents walk free after murder acquittal
- Published
The murders generated huge interest in India
An Indian couple accused of murdering their daughter Aarushi Talwar and their Nepalese servant, Hemraj Banjade, have been released from jail.
Dentists Rajesh and Nupur Talwar were acquitted on appeal on 12 October after spending four years in prison in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.
Their 14-year-old daughter was found dead at their home in May 2008.
The murders generated huge interest in India, with every twist and turn in the case receiving wall-to-wall coverage.
The dentist couple have offered to visit the prison regularly to treat patients, according to officials. While in prison, they helped revive the dental department and often treated both inmates and staff.
Last week, the high court in Allahabad said the couple had to be released immediately. However the lengthy process required to free prisoners meant that the couple could only leave jail today.
Reports quoted the judges as saying that the evidence against the couple was circumstantial and the federal Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) which investigated the murders had failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that the Talwars had killed their daughter.
It is not clear whether the CBI will appeal against the judgement.
The trial court had based its verdict on circumstantial evidence as key forensic evidence had been lost during two flawed investigations.
Aarushi was found with her throat slit and a fatal head injury in her own bedroom, next-door to her parents' room at their home in the affluent Delhi suburb of Noida.
Case timeline
16 May 2008: Schoolgirl Aarushi Talwar's body found at home with throat slit and a fatal head wound
17 May 2008: Body of domestic help Hemraj found on the roof of the house
23 May 2008: Father Rajesh Talwar arrested
29 May 2008: Case handed over to federal detective agency CBI
11 July 2008: Rajesh Talwar bailed
29 December 2010: CBI wants to close the case due to a "lack of evidence"
25 January 2011: Rajesh Talwar attacked by a man with meat cleaver
April 2011: CBI says "only parents could have killed Aarushi"
8 June 2012: Trial begins
26 November 2013: Rajesh and Nupur Talwar found guilty of murdering Aarushi and Hemraj and sentenced to life
12 October 2017: The high court in Allahabad frees the couple
Her parents told the police they were sleeping in the next room when the murder was committed.
Prosecutors alleged that the Talwars killed their daughter in a rage when they found her in bed with Hemraj.
They also argued that Aarushi's throat was slit in a manner indicating someone with medical skills, and that the two victims were hit by a golf club that was initially hidden by the Talwars.
The prosecutors said the crime scene had also been dressed to mislead investigators.
The Talwar family in happier times
In the early days of the police investigation, Aarushi was described as a girl of "loose moral character" who chatted with boys and went for "sleepovers" at friends' homes.
The case gripped India, receiving almost unprecedented levels of media scrutiny.