Journalism of Courage
After five-and-a-half years of twists and turns,the Aarushi Talwar and Hemraj double murder case has reached a conclusion. Dentist couple Rajesh and Nupur Talwar who were accused of murdering their 14-year-old daughter Aarushi were found guilty in a verdict by a Ghaziabad court on Monday (November 25). Aarushi Talwar was found dead with her throat slit in the bedroom of her flat in Noida on May 16,2008.
Following is the chronology of the sensational double murder case that rocked the country in 2008. (IE Photo: Partha Paul/AP)
May 15,2008: At 1:30pm,Aarushi is picked up by her mother Dr Nupur Talwar. Vandana Talwar,Rajesh's sister-in-law came to their house,stayed till 3:30pm-4:00pm and returned at 7:30pm,remaining till Rajesh Talwar came home. Digital camera,Aarushi Talwar's birthday present,delivered to the house At 9:30pm,Dr Rajesh Talwar returned home,driven by driver Umesh. Aarushi takes some photographs of herself and her parents. Her parents return to their bedroom,while she remains in her room. (IE Photo)
May 16,2008: Maid Bharati rings the doorbell. Tries to push outer grill door open,but it stays shut. Asks Nupur Talwar for the keys who says Hemraj must have gone to get milk. Nupur throws keys down and Bharti uses the key to enter. Aarushi Talwar found dead with her throat slit in the bedroom of her flat in Noida. Bharati finds the girl's parents crying. Blood soaked clothing of Aarushi and a blood stained whiskey bottle seized from the dining table of Dr Rajesh Talwar. (IE Photo: Praveen Jain)
May 17,2008: Hemraj's body found on the terrace of Talwar's house.
May 18,2008: Police say murders done with surgical precision,insider job suspected.
May 19,2008: Talwar's former Nepalese domestic help Vishnu Sharma named suspect.
May 21,2008: Delhi Police joins murder probe.
May 22,2008: Family under suspicion,honour killing angle probed,the police quiz Aarushi's close friend whom she spoke to 688 times in the 45 days preceding her murder.
May 23,2008: Aarushi's father Rajesh Talwar arrested for the two murders. (IE Photo)
June 1,2008: CBI takes over the probe in the case.
June 13,2008: Domestic help of Rajesh Talwar,Krishna,arrested by CBI.
June 20,2008: Lie detection test of Rajesh Talwar conducted at CFSL,Delhi.
June 25,2008: Second lie detection test conducted on Nupur Talwar. Her first lie detection test was found inconclusive.
June 26,2008: CBI declares the case to be a "blind case". Rajesh Talwar refused bail by the special magistrate in Ghaziabad. (IE Photo: Prem Nath Pandey)
July 3,2008: Supreme Court rejects a public interest litigation (PIL) case which challenged the administration of narco-analysis test on the accused in the case.
July 12,2008: Rajesh Talwar freed on bail from Dasna Jail in Ghaziabad. (IE Photo: Gajendra Yadav)
Jan 5,2010: CBI moves court to conduct narco test on Talwar couple.
Dec 29,2010: CBI files a closure report in the case citing "insufficient evidence". Clean chit to servants but Magistrate orders that Talwars should stand trial in the case. (IE Photo: Gajendra Yadav)
Jan 25,2011: Rajesh Talwar is attacked by a youth with a meat cleaver on the Ghaziabad court premises. (IE Photo: Prem Nath Pandey)
Feb 9,2011: Court takes cognizance of CBI report. Charges Aarushi's parents with murder and destruction of evidence.
Feb 25,2011: Allahabad High Court begins hearing Nupur Talwar's files challenging the court's Feb 9 order,brings up CDFD report that said Hemraj's blood was present on pillow cover found from Krishna's room. (IE Photo)
Mar 14,2012: CBI argues in court for cancellation of Rajesh Talwar's bail.
April 30,2012: Nupur Talwar arrested. On a dramatic day of court hopping,Nupur fails to get relief from a Special CBI court before which she surrenders following a Supreme Court directive to her to do so. (IE Photo: Praveen Khanna)
May 2,2012:: Nupur Talwar moves Supreme Court seeking bail in the double murder case. She files a fresh plea for bail in the pending petition before the apex court in which she sought review of its decision giving a go ahead to criminal prosecution against her and her dentist husband Rajesh Talwar.
May 3,2012: Sessions court rejects Nupur Talwar's bail plea.
May 24,2012: Aarushi Talwar's parents Rajesh and Nupur Talwar were charged with her murder and destruction of evidence.
May 25,2012: Rajesh and Nupur Talwar plead not guilty to charges,trial to begin on June 4. (IE Photo: Prem Nath Pandey)
June 11,2012: The trial in the sensational murders starts. The case goes on for nearly one and a half year during which prosecution led by CBI's Deputy Legal Advisor R K Saini presents 39 witnesses to buttress their case while defence team presents seven witnesses.
Sep 25,2012: After spending nearly five months at Dasna Jail,Nupur Talwar steps out on bail on Supreme Court's order. (IE Photo)
April 16,2013: In a blow to the Talwars,CBI tells a Ghaziabad court that dentist couple Rajesh and Nupur Talwar murdered their teenaged daughter Aarushi and domestic help Hemraj on the night of May 15-16,2008. CBI also tells court that Talwars dressed up the crime scene. (IE Photo: Praveen Khanna)
May 3,2013: Defence counsel pleads before a special court to summon 14 people,including former CBI joint director Arun Kumar as witness. CBI opposes the plea.>br>May 6,2013: Trial court dismisses Talwar's petition for summoning 14 witnesses. It orders recording of statements of Rajesh and Nupur Talwar. (IE Photo: Prem Nath Pandey)
Sept 16,2013: A London-based forensic expert Andre Semikhodski pointed out irregularities in the DNA evidence submitted by the CBI.
Sept 28,2013: Court rejects Talwar's plea to send a 'khukri' to a British forensic lab,on Saturday,for another round of DNA testing. (PTI)
Oct10,2013: Final arguments in the case begin.
Oct 18,2013: CBI closes arguments in the case,claims that dentist couple "mislead" the investigators during the course of probe on different occasions and were involved in the destruction of evidence. (IE Photo: Praveen Khanna/Prem Nath pandey)
Nov 12,2013: Court reserves verdict in the case for November 25.
Nov 25,2013:Rajesh and Nupur Talwar were convicted of murder and destruction of evidence among other offences,under sections 302 and 201 of the Indian Penal Code. The court will pronounce the quantum of punishment for the Talwar couple on November 26. Following the verdict,the Talwars will be taken into custody. (IE Photo: Ravi Batra)
