Judgment in Aarushi-Hemraj double murder Monday

After over five and a half years, a CBI court here will pronounce its judgment Monday in the Aarushi-Hemraj double murder, one of India's most sensational criminal cases in which the girl's parents, both dentists, are the prime suspects.

After the crime took place May 15, 2008, the case was investigated by Uttar Pradesh Police. During the probe, police suspected the involvement of Aarushi's parents, Rajesh and Nupur Talwar. Rajesh Talwar was arrested May 23, 2008.

However, a fortnight after the murders, the case was handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) May 31, 2008. The bureau submitted its closure report Dec 29, 2010, when it could not establish the sequence of events.

In the absence of reliable evidence, the investigation agency said: "No one can be accounted accused."

During the trial, Jan 25, 2011, Rajesh Talwar was attacked in the court premises. The Talwars then applied to shift the trial from Ghaziabad to Delhi, but the application was rejected by the Supreme Court.

Meanwhile, Khukla Banjhare, the 43-year-old widow of Hemraj alias M. Prasad Banjhare, a resident of Dharapani town in Arghakhanchi district of Nepal, submitted an application before the CBI court in which she alleged that her husband was killed by the Talwars.

She said Hemraj told her that his employers, the Talwar couple, were short-tempered people who scolded him over minor issues. He said they used to organise late night parties and that he was planning to change his job.

On Feb 28, 2011, a CBI special magistrate passed an order in which the closure report was rejected and summons were issued to Rajesh and Nupur Talwar.

The CBI's investigation officer, A.G.L. Kaul, said during his testimony that on the basis of the circumstances, he was convinced that the dentist couple killed their daughter.

During cross-examination, Kaul, however, admitted he had never seen such a surgical scalpel that could have been used to sever the throats of Aarushi and Hemraj.

Rajesh Talwar answered about 330 questions raised by the court from the recorded statements of the witnesses.

In the final arguments, the accused parents of Aarushi refuted the CBI theory that they killed their daughter and the servant in sudden provocation.

They said the CBI's claim during various stages of the probe that five different weapons -- hammer, knife, khukri, golf stick and surgical scalpel -- were used showed that the agency was not sure of what exactly happened.

On Nov 12, 2013, the CBI judge adjourned the court till Nov 25, the date set for the judgment.