Contradictions in doc's statements, autopsy report: defence

The statements of Sunil Kumar Dohre, Deputy Chief Medical Officer of Noida, which were recorded in the chief examination, the ones recorded before the CBI investigation officer and in the postmortem report contradict each other, Defence counsel Satyakatu Singh told the court following cross examination of the witness.

During his day-long cross examination by defence, Dohre said he did not record whether Arushi was sexually assaulted before the murder in the post mortem report.

He said that he did not take the blood samples of Arushi during postmortem as such blood samples were "normally" taken only when DNA tests had to be conducted.

Dhore stated that he did not record in the postmortem report that the injuries on the body of Arushi were due to golf stick and sharp surgical instruments but out of the four injuries two were due to blunt object and the other two were from "small sharp weapon".

During deposition yesterday Dhore had said that pattern of injuries on the bodies of Aarushi and Hemraj was the same.

"There were four injuries on the body of the victim. Injuries 1 and 3 were by golf stick and 2 and 4 were by surgical instruments. Aarushi died due to lack of blood in the body," he had said.

Dhore had told the court he was present at the time when Hemraj's autopsy was conducted and saw that the victim's throat had been slit and the "pattern of cutting it was same (as that of Aarushi) and the cuts were clean."

"Hemraj was also murdered with the surgical tools," he had said adding that the nature of injuries on the bodies of Aarushi and Hemraj was same.

"In Dhore's statements improvements were done under the pressure of the CBI," the defence counsel alleged.

However, public prosecutor R. K Saini contended that "subjective findings are not written in the postmortem report" and hence there was no contradiction in the statements.

Aarushi, 14, was found murdered at her parents' Noida residence May 16, 2008 while the body of the family's domestic help Hemraj was found the next day on the terrace of the house. Aarushi's parents -- Rajesh and Nupur Talwar-- are facing trial in the double murder case.