Talwars get life imprisonment for double murder

A day after they were held guilty, a special CBI court Tuesday sentenced dentist couple Rajesh and Nupur Talwar to life imprisonment for killing their daughter and domestic help five years ago.

Lawyers of the distraught couple, who were immediately taken back to the Dasna Jail in Ghaziabad district, said they would appeal in a higher court against the verdict.

Judge Shyam Lal also sentenced the Talwars to five years in jail for destruction of evidence and Rajesh Talwar to an additional year in prison for giving false information to investigators.

The prosecution had sought death penalty for the Talwars, calling it a "rarest of the rare" case.

The Talwars' daughter Aarushi, 14, and their Nepalese domestic help Hemraj, 45, were found with their throats slit at the doctors' residence in Noida adjoining Delhi in May 2008.

Police initially suspected the then missing Hemraj for Aarushi's killing but discovered his body from the terrace of the house the next day.

It marked the start of one of India's most keenly followed crime cases that took several twists and turns before the CBI finally decided to blame the Talwars for the gory double murder.

The Talwars say they are innocent and have vowed to fight for justice.

The Hemraj family's lawyer Naresh Yadav came under attack from other lawyers in the court premises soon after he broke the news of the verdict against the Talwars Tuesday.

Yadav sprinted from the scene with police assistance and took shelter in the court. Outside, two groups of lawyers got into a heated argument and a scuffle with police desperately trying to keep them apart.