The verdict was is out. According to Ghaziabad High Court, the parents were convicted guilty and were sentenced to life imprisonment today.


A special CBI Court is likely to announce the quantum of punishment for Rajesh and Nupur Talwar, who were held guilty for the murder of their teenaged daughter Aarushi and their domestic help Hemraj at their home on the intervening night of May 16-17, 2008.

The court will hear the arguments on the quantum of punishment today. Read full report here

Nupur Talwar suffered high blood pressure and anxiety after she and her husband Rajesh were brought to the Dasna jail last evening. Read here

As soon as the verdict was announced, the duo and the family broke down and were clearly upset with the decision.

The parents convicted under sections 302 and 201, while Rajesh Talwar also convicted on additional charge under Section 203 for filing a false FIR. They have been taken into custody after the verdict. "We are deeply disappointed, hurt and anguished over conviction," they said in a statment. "We refuse to feel defeated and will continue to fight for justice," they said.

"There was no evidence, dissapointed with the verdict. It's wrong," stated Talwars' lawyer Satyaketu Singh.

On the other hand, the CBI lawyer on Aarushi case, RK Saini, stated, "Court said according to the circumstances there is no one else who could commit the crime."

Updates:

* Defence counsel Tanvir Mir countered CBI's argument and said the evidence against his clients were weak and sought leniency for Talwars. The arguments lasted just five minutes before the judge adjourned proceedings and pronounced he quantum of sentence at 4.30 PM. The Talwar couple remained composed.

The Talwar couple were also sentenced for five years for destruction of evidence and Rajesh for another one year for filing wrong FIR with police.

* Talwars' lawyers will appeal to a higher court against the decision. The duo will be taken to jail.
* The crowd outside the court is huge. There is a stampede sort of situation outside the court, reports our journalist Kanu Sarda from the scene.

* Ghaziabad Court sentences Rajesh and Nupur Talwar to life imprisonment t in Aarushi-Hemraj murder case.

* The arguments on sentencing in Aarushi-Hemraj murder case is over, order after 4.30 pm.

* CBI Tuesday sought death penalty for dentist couple Rajesh and Nupur Talwar on charges of murdering their daughter and domestic help five years ago.

* Public prosecutor R.K. Saini said the case comes under the "rarest of rare" category as daughter Aarushi and Hemraj were found dead with their throats slit at the Talwar residence in Noida in May 2008

* Defence counsel pleaded for leniency in sentencing citing Talwars background

* CBI argues for Death Penalty in Aarushi Talwar case. Sentencing to be announced at 3pm

* Talwar couple inconsolable, refuse dinner: Jail officials .

* Dinesh Talwar, brother of Rajesh, told reporters outside the court that they would appeal against the verdict in the Allahabad High Court.

* The Talwar couple has been kept in separate special cells in the jail, which will be out of reach for other inmates. Due to security reasons, they will be kept separate from other inmates for some days," Dasna Jail Superintendent Viresh Raj Sharma told IANS.

Sharma said Nupur has been kept inside the women's barrack but her cell is separate from other inmates while Rajesh has been kept in a separate cell in a special barrack.

"After their medical examination, both of them were taken to their respective cells. Each of them have been given a blanket, a rug, a mug and a plate to eat," Sharma said.

* , Satyaketu Singh, on Monday said, “There is no evidence. We are disappointed with the verdict. This order is wrong and illegal.”

* Meanwhile, senior advocate Abha Singh said, “This was a gruesome incident. It was an open and shut case,

* Aarushi's friend  Fiza Jha, described the verdict as disappointing on Monday. “This has gone from bad to worse. It will be tragic if the parents don't get justice in the higher courts,” she said.

* The Talwars are now in police custody and have been taken to Ghaziabad's Dasna jail.

* The two were taken into custody immediately after the verdict.The court will hear the arguments on the quantum of sentence on Tuesday.

* In a statement issued after the verdict, the dentist couple said, “We are deeply disappointed, hurt and anguished for being convicted for a crime that we have not committed. We refuse to feel defeated and will continue to fight for justice.”

* The couple will appeal to higher courts, according to the lawyer.

* Defence lawyer Satyaketu Singh said the judgement was wrong in law and would be appealed against in the High Court.

Nearly five-and-a-half years after the sensational killings of teenager Aarushi Talwar and domestic help Hemraj, a special CBI court pronounced its verdict.

Special Judge S Lal, who is retiring soon, gave his decision after a 15-month-long trial of dentist couple, both out on bail at present, on charges of murder and destruction of evidence in the killing of their 14-year-old daughter and servant on the intervening night of May 15-16, 2008 at their Jalvayu Vihar residence in Noida.

A special CBI court on Monday convicted dentist Rajesh Tawlar and his wife Nupur Talwar for killing their daughter Aarushi and servant Hemraj.

Special CBI judge Shyam Lal held the couple guilty of murder and destruction of evidence under section 302 and 201 of Indian Penal code (IPC) respectively. Rajesh Talwar was also separately held guilty, under section 203, of registering a false FIR. Soon after the judgment, Talwars issued a statement saying they were deeply disappointed and hurt by the verdict.

The two were taken into custody immediately after the verdict.The court will hear the arguments on the quantum of sentence on Tuesday.

The verdict comes almost five-and-a-half years after the sensational double murder was committed.

The CBI had accused the parents — Rajesh and Nupur Talwar — of being the killers, going by circumstantial evidence, testimony of witnesses and forensic reports.

The Talwars had all along claimed that "they have been framed" on the basis of conjectures and tutored witnesses.

When the Noida police first came to know on May 16, 2008 that the 14-year-old daughter of prominent dentist Dr Rajesh Talwar had been murdered at their residence in Jalvayu Vihar allegedly by their servant, Hemraj Banjade, it appeared as a regular murder case.

But things changed dramatically the very next day when Hemraj's body was found on the terrace of the house. The Noida police and two CBI teams investigated the case, which saw many twists and turns.

From Dr Rajesh and Nupur Talwar going to jail and allegations of tampering of evidence to witnesses turning hostile, police officers getting shifted, closure report being filed, parents coming out on bail and then a trial - the case has kept both the media and people transfixed.

The latest trial got over on November 12 after almost 19 months during which CBI used testimony of close to 90 witnesses in order to prove that it was only the parents who could have committed the murders and there was no possibility of an outsider entering the house.

The motive: Dr Talwar found his daughter in an objectionable state with Hemraj after which he killed them with a golf club and slit their throats using a surgical scalpel or knife. CBI's investigating officer A G L Kaul stated that he wanted to make Dr Rajesh Talwar's brother, Dinesh Talwar, a suspect as well.

During cross-examination and their final arguments, the counsel for Talwars - Satyaketu Singh and Tanveer Ahmed Mir - slammed every aspect of CBI's investigations. They alleged that its important witnesses like Dr Sunil Dohre, Naresh Raj and M S Dahiya had improved their statements while many witnesses like maid Bharti and CDFD (Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics) experts had been tutored by the agency. Talwars' lawyers alleged that CBI had tampered with, fabricated and changed the evidence to frame the parents and that its case against them was full of "alternate hypothesis" and had no merit.

The case had been first investigated by the Noida police and Dr Rajesh Talwar had been arrested. Then IG Gurdarshan Singh had addressed a press conference where he announced the honour killing theory leading to severe criticism and his eventual transfer. The police were blamed for not properly pre-serving the crime scene and going easy on the probe. The then chief minister, Mayawati, transferred the probe to CBI.
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