Rajesh and Nupur Talwar: Shree Paradkar's indictment of the application of forensic science in their sorely tainted trial; An indictment of forensic science gone wrong. (Must Read. HL);

PUBLISHER'S VIEW: I have previously run several posts on Shree Paradkar's accounts of  the failure of India's law enforcement and legal systems to provide a fair trial  to Rajesh and Nupur  Talwar. Shree, who I got to know and respect when I worked at the Toronto Star has now  written an ebook, published by the Star, called "Betrayed: My cousin's wrongful conviction for the murder of her daughter, Aarushi." In this chapter from the very reasonably priced book Shree exposes the woeful forensics that led to the wrongful convictions - an indictment of forensic science  gone wrong that cries out for remedy.

Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog.

STORY: "Aarushi Talwar murder: Excerpt from a Toronto Star ebook," by reporter Shree Paradkar, published by the Toronto Star on February 19, 2014. (Shree Paradkar, author of Betrayed: My Cousin’s Wrongful Conviction for the Murder of Her Daughter, Aarushi, is cousin of Nupur Talwar, one of the accused in the case. The extended family believes Aarushi’s parents are innocent and were wrongly convicted, and that the case points to incompetence in India’s legal system. Paradkar grew up in Bangalore, India, where she worked as a reporter at the Times of India. She was an editor at The Straits Times in Singapore. She currently works on the Toronto Star’s breaking news desk and is home page editor of www.thestar.com.)

SUB-HEADING:  "In a stinging indictment of India's law-enforcement and legal systems, Toronto Star journalist Shree Paradkar chronicles the farcical investigation and trial that led to what she believes is the wrongful conviction of a murdered girl's parents. The case has made headlines around the world.

BACKGROUND TO PUBLICATION:  The following story is excerpted from the Star Dispatches ebook, Betrayed: My Cousin’s Wrongful Conviction for the Murder of her Daughter, Aarushi. To purchase the full ebook click on one of the links  provided with the excerpt.

GIST:  "Rajesh and Nupur Talwars’s trial at the district-level court was “fast-tracked,” which is why it took just 17 months to complete. Most trials in India take years. India’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took one year to make its case, calling 39 witnesses. It had originally drawn up a list of 141 witnesses.

The testimony of 14 witnesses who were dropped was crucial for the defence. Among them: A doctor who examined the couple’s murdered daughter Aarushi’s vaginal swab and told police there was no sign of semen. A constable who stated in police records that she had allowed cleaners to clean the crime scene hours after Aarushi’s body was discovered. The high-ranking Arun Kumar, who, during his stint at the national police force CBI, headed a team that conducted extensive investigations and exonerated Rajesh in July 2008. His testimony would have been contrary to the prosecutors’ and would have forced the judge to formally recognize Kumar’s investigation. When the Talwars sought to call these people as defence witnesses, prosecutors argued they should not be allowed to call any witnesses at all.  The dozen or so witnesses the defence wanted to call were “irrelevant,” CBI prosecutor R.K. Saini told court. Any attempt to call other witnesses was a delaying tactic and should also be rejected, he said. In the end, the court allowed the Talwars to call seven witnesses, a list that did not include the above three. “Every day gets more difficult,” Nupur told me then.

The entire excerpt can be found at: (Please cut and paste the following ling into the address box. HL);

 http://www.thestar.com/news/insight/2014/02/19/ebook_excerpt_betrayed_my_cousins_wrongful_conviction_for_the_murder_of_her_daughter_aarushi.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:
I look forward to hearing from readers at:

hlevy15@gmail.com.

Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog.