New Delhi:
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) today told the Supreme Court that it opposes the shifting of Aarushi Talwar murder trial from Ghaziabad to Delhi. The counsel of the investigating agency told the court that it can provide security to Aarushi's parents, Rajesh Talwar and Nupur Talwar. It has, however, sought time to file a detailed reply to their plea seeking transfer of the trial.
In their plea filed in the Supreme Court on February 3, the Talwars had cited security reasons. They had contended that Rajesh Talwar had faced a hostile atmosphere in the Ghaziabad court where he was assaulted with a knife by a person in January 2011. The couple also claimed that most of the witnesses were based in Delhi.
The court, while admitting their plea, had said that the couple could file an appeal in the lower court for the adjournment of the case and issued a notice to the CBI seeking its reply within four weeks.
The Supreme Court today adjourned the case till Monday.
The Talwars did not appear in the Special CBI Court in Ghaziabad on February 4. Their counsel made a request for stopping the proceedings, saying that the Supreme Court is hearing a plea filed by them for transfer of the trial to a court in Delhi.
Last month, the Supreme Court had cleared the decks for the Talwars' trial, dismissing the couple's plea to quash criminal proceedings against them for the twin murders of their teenage daughter and their domestic help Hemraj in 2008.
A bench of justices A K Ganguly, who has since retired, and J S Khehar said that there was nothing wrong in the Ghaziabad court's order taking cognisance against them and putting them on trial.
Refusing to interfere with the lower court's order which had rejected the CBI's closure report, the bench said the magistrate gave the ruling after applying his mind.
"We dismiss the appeal," the bench said while clarifying that its order would not prejudice the trial against the accused.
14-year-old Aarushi, the only daughter of the Talwars, was found dead with her throat slit at the family's residence in Noida on the intervening night of May 15-16, 2008 and the body of Hemraj was found on the terrace the next day.