Aarushi trial: Others apart from Talwars, Hemraj were present, says defence

Ghaziabad: In the Aarushi-Hemraj murder case, defence counsel for the Talwar dentist couple on Friday told a court here that contrary to the CBI theory the blood stains on a whiskey bottle could not be of Aarushi’s parents. The Talwars, parents of the 14-year-old victim and who are accused in the case, are represented by lawyer Satyaketu Singh, who submitted Friday that the CBI did not agree to conduct a “touch DNA” test of the finger prints on the whiskey bottle. [caption id=“attachment_1219399” align=“alignleft” width=“338”]  Aarushi Talwari. Ibnlive[/caption] The parents of Aarushi had even suggested the names of certain laboratories in the US, Britain and Canada, and had agreed to have the test conducted at their own cost. The lawyer also submitted to the CBI court that BK Mahapatra, the scientist at the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL), reported that the fingerprints on three bottles of Kingfisher beer, Sprite cold drink and Sula whiskey were of Hemraj, a domestic help whose body was found in the terrace of the Noida house of the Talwars a day after Aarushi was found murdered. The lawyer said the partial DNA test suggested that the fingerprints on the beer bottle and on palm-print on the terrace were of the same person. Three glasses and three bottles were found in the room of Hemraj, suggesting that three people had been drinking that night. Also, the marks on the domestic help’s bed suggested that three people had sat on it. The food left for Hemraj in the kitchen had been left untouched. There was also evidence that Hemraj received calls on the telephone 2.30 pm, 15 May 2008, indicating that Raj Kumar, who worked as a domestic help in the home of a couple who were associates of the Talwars, had fixed the time to visit Hemraj in the night. At the time that Raj Kumar spoke to Hemraj, Rajesh Talwar, the dentist father of Aarushi, was at a private medical college giving a lecture. Bharti, a maid in the Talwar household, submitted on record that she asked Nupur, the mother of the murdered girl, to throw down the keys in the morning. The family’s driver Umesh and a washerman in the locality also testified that although the main gate to the home remained closed all the time, and was not easy to open, it could be pushed hard and opened. The circumstances, the lawyer said, suggested that entry from outside was possible, and the marks on Hemraj’s bed suggested that there were people from outside the house within, on the night of the murder. In its arguments, the CBI had said that there was no one from outside the house within, and the parents were solely responsible for whatever happened that night. The next hearing in the matter will be held 9 November. Aarushi, 14, was found murdered at her parents’ Noida residence 16 May, 2008. The body of Hemraj was found the next day on the terrace of the house. IANS