Allahabad: In a much awaited judgment, the Allahabad High Court has struck down the orders of the CBI court that convicted Rajesh and Nupur Talwar for the murder of their daughter Aarushi and domestic help Hemraj in 2008.
The court cited the lack of anything but circumstantial evidence against the couple, saying it isn't enough to prove their involvement in the double murder.
The court read out its orders to a packed court room, with at least 200-300 people in attendance.
The couple were earlier awarded life sentence by a special CBI court in Ghaziabad on November 26, 2013, a day after their conviction.
Nupur and Rajesh Talwar are at present serving their sentence in Ghaziabad's Dasna jail.
Aarushi Talwar murder case timeline:
May 15-16, 2008: Fourteen-year-old Aarushi Talwar found dead inside her room in the Talwars' Noida residence with her throat slit.
May 16: Uttar Pradesh police start probing the case and domestic help Hemraj, a 45- year-old Nepali national, is suspected of the murder.
May 17: Hemraj's body found on the terrace of Talwars' house.
May 18: UP Police say the twin murders were done with surgical precision, insider job suspected.
May 19: Talwars' former Nepali domestic help Vishnu Sharma named suspect.
May 21: Delhi Police join probe.
May 22: Talwars come under suspicion as the police probe honor killing angle. The police quiz Aarushi's close friend whom she spoke to 688 times in 45 days preceding her murder.
May 23: Aarushi's father Rajesh Talwar arrested for the twin murders.
May 29: Uttar Pradesh Police accused of shoddy investigation into the case which was making national headlines. The then UP chief minister Mayawati hands over the probe to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
June 1: The CBI takes over the probe.
June 13: Rajesh Talwar's domestic help, Krishna is arrested by the CBI.
June 20: Rajesh Talwar undergoes lie detection test at Central Forensic Science Laboratory, Delhi.
June 25: Second lie detection test is conducted on Aarushi's mother Nupur Talwar. Her first lie detection test was found inconclusive.
June 26: The CBI declares the case to be a "blind case". Rajesh Talwar refused bail by the special magistrate in Ghaziabad.
July 12: Rajesh Talwar freed on bail from Dasna Jail in Ghaziabad.
Feb 8-12, 2009: Narco-analysis tests on Nupur Talwar done between February 8 and February 12 on CBI's plea.
Feb 15-20: Narco-analysis tests on Rajesh Talwar done between February 15 and February 20.
December, 2010: The CBI files closure report, stating Rajesh as the main suspect but submits there is not enough evidence against him. Gives clean chit to the Talwars' servants.
Jan 25, 2011: Rajesh Talwar attacked on court premises.
Feb 9: Trial court rejects the CBI's closure report and summons Talwar couple as accused to face charges of murder and destruction of evidence.
Feb 21: The couple approaches Allahabad High Court for quashing trial court summons.
Mar 18: HC dismisses their plea to quash summons and orders initiation of proceedings against them.
Mar 19: The couple approaches the Supreme Court which stayed the trial against the couple.
Jan 6, 2012: The apex court dismisses Talwars' plea and allows the trial against them.
April, 2013: A CBI officer tells the court that Aarushi and Hemraj were killed by the Talwars. The CBI also tells the court that Aarushi and Hemraj were found in an objectionable position.
May 3: Defense counsel pleads before a special court to summon 14 people, including former CBI joint director Arun Kumar as witness. The CBI opposes the plea.
May 6: Trial court dismisses Talwars' petition for summoning 14 witnesses. It orders recording of statements of Rajesh and Nupur.
May 13: Supreme Court refuses to entertain the Talwars' petition.
Nov 26: The Talwars' are awarded life sentence by a special CBI court in Ghaziabad a day after their conviction in the murder of Aarushi and Hemraj.
August 1, 2017: The Allahabad High Court says it would hear afresh the appeals filed by Rajesh and Nupur Talwar.
Sept 7: A division bench of the high court comprising justices B.K. Narayana and A.K. Mishra reserves its judgment on the appeal filed by the dentist couple, fixing October 12 as the date for the verdict.
October 12: The Allahabad High Court clears the Talwar couple of murder charges.
.(With PTI, IANS inputs)
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