Sunday, November 24, 2013

Nuper and Rajesh Talwar: New Delhi; Verdict in murder trial expected Monday (November 25, 2013); A troubling case reeking of forensic flaws and crying for an acquittal: No DNA, no hair samples, no blood, no fingerprints point to the accused - there is a question whether one person's blood can be selectively wiped from a crime scene - and there is cogent evidence that points elsewhere. (Must Read. HL);




STORY:  "Aarushi Talwar murder trial: Verdict expected on Nov. 25: Nupur and Rajesh Talwar are on trial in India, accused of murdering their own child and cook. Judgment is expected Nov. 25," by Shree Paradkar, published by the Toronto Star on November 22, 2013.

GIST: "A New Delhi couple accused of slashing the throats of their 13-year-old daughter and live-in cook find out their fate Monday, when one of India’s most controversial and high-profile murder trials comes to an end.  Rajesh Talwar and his wife Nupur, both dentists, are accused of killing their only child Aarushi and their 45-year-old male cook, Hemraj Banjade, five years ago. In a case marked by contradictory evidence and bungled investigations, India’s central investigative agency, the CBI, has variously labelled the murders as honour killings (premeditated) or as being carried out in a fit of rage (impromptu). ......... “Our strongest point,” says Nupur, “is that there is no evidence that Hemraj was killed in that room.” There is no DNA, no hair samples, no blood or fingerprints or any evidence that places the child and cook together in her bedroom on the night of the murders. Can one person’s blood be selectively wiped from a crime scene? There is evidence, however, that others were in the house that night. In Hemraj’s room, investigators found a bottle of wine, two bottles of beer and a bottle of Sprite. Hemraj did not drink alcohol. The bottles had traces of Hemraj’s blood, but they did not have prints matching the Talwars......... There is evidence that points elsewhere. For two years, the CBI’s records showed the cook’s blood was found on a pillow cover in the home of the Talwars’ dental clinic assistant Krishna Thadarai. The CBI later claimed this was a “typographical error” by forensic scientists. While many of us around the couple believe the judgment is a foregone conclusion, Nupur and Rajesh are clinging to hope. “Lawyers outside the court are telling us not to bother fighting. That the judgment is already written up,” Rajesh says. “People say all sorts of stupid things.” This will be the final judgment judge Shyam Lal delivers in his 35-year career. He retires Nov. 30. “It’s going to be an important judgment,” Nupur says. “It’s not going to be that easy for him to push us aside. He has to look at the facts” Come Nov. 25, I hope she is proven right. Then, again, she always was naïve."
The entire story can be found at:

http://www.thestar.com/news/world/2013/11/22/aarushi_talwar_murder_trial_verdict_expected_on_nov_25.html

PUBLISHER'S NOTE:

Dear Reader. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog. We are following this case.

I have added a search box for content in this blog which now encompasses several thousand posts. The search box is located  near the bottom of the screen just above the list of links. I am confident that this powerful search tool provided by "Blogger" will help our readers and myself get more out of the site.

The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at:

http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith

Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at:

http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html

I look forward to hearing from readers at:

hlevy15@gmail.com