PUBLISHER'S NOTE: Rajesh and Nupur Talwar were charged with murdering their 14-year-old daughter Aarushi - and subsequently convicted - following one of the most corrupt and bungled police investigations I have ever reported during the thus-far ten year history of this Blog. Moreover, as the Quinto notes, "The media went to town with the 2008 Aarushi murder case. Wild, unconfirmed rumours did the rounds and the sheer salaciousness of the allegations ensured that the case captured the public imagination. Aarushi’s ‘immoral character’ and the Talwars’ supposed extra-marital affairs and scandalous liaisons became a matter of public discourse. Between the media and incompetent investigative agencies, a vindictive character assassination of the entire Talwar family was undertaken. Amidst all the moral judgement, justice was denied." Coverage of the troubling case has travelled far beyond India through books and movies. I truly hope the Talwars will be exonerated, as they most certainly deserve to be - and if at all possible, in spite of the passsage of years and the bungled investigation, the true killer or killers will be caught.
Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog;
-----------------------------------------------------------
STORY "Righting the Wrongs in the Aarushi Talwar Murder Case," published by The Quint on Septemver 29, 2017. (This article, accompanied by powerful video coverage, was first published on 20 September 2015. It is being reposted from The Quint’s archives in anticipation of the delivery of the decision on Ragesh abd Nupur's appeal of their troubling convictions in the murder of their daughter Aarushi.)
SUB-HEADING: ‘The Aarushi Murder Case Represents What Can Go Wrong With Our System’
GIST: (Text accompanying the video reportage): "On
the night of 15 May, 2008, Aarushi Talwar was murdered in her bed. She
had sustained injuries from a possibly fatal blow to her forehead. Her
throat was slit. 14-year-old Aarushi’s body was found by her parents the
next morning. Two days later, the prime suspect, Hemraj Banjade, the
Talwars’ domestic help, was found dead on the terrace. On
12 October, the Allahabad High Court will deliver its verdict on an
appeal filed by Rajesh and Nupur Talwar challenging the CBI court order
convicting them for the murder of their daughter Aarushi and domestic
help Hemraj. This interview was first published on 20 December 2015 and
is being reposted from The Quint’s archives ahead of the verdict. On
18 December, 2015, Dr Dinesh Talwar, Tanvir Ahmed Mir and Avirook Sen
addressed an audience at the Jalvayu Vihar Community Centre in Noida.
The audience comprised the very people Aarushi and her parents had lived
among. They were family, friends, neighbours, acquaintances- the
immediate community, the first responders to the ghastly events of 15
May, 2008. Dr Dinesh Talwar, Aarushi’s uncle; Tanvir Ahmed Mir, the Talwars’ lawyer; and Avirook Sen, journalist and author of Aarushi, took
it upon themselves to make sure that the Talwars’ nearest and dearest
were aware of the facts of the case and the details of the trial. Organised
by Aarushi’s aunt, Vandana Talwar, the event at the community centre
was a successful attempt at a dialogue about the details of the trial.
Despite proof that evidence had been doctored, and that the trial was
far from ‘fair,’ the Talwars were declared guilty. As Dr Talwar said, they (Rajesh and Nupur Talwar) have been declared guilty, but guilty based on what? The
media went to town with the 2008 Aarushi murder case. Wild, unconfirmed
rumours did the rounds and the sheer salaciousness of the allegations
ensured that the case captured the public imagination. Aarushi’s
‘immoral character’ and the Talwars’ supposed extra-marital affairs and
scandalous liaisons became a matter of public discourse. Between
the media and incompetent investigative agencies, a vindictive character
assassination of the entire Talwar family was undertaken. Amidst all
the moral judgement, justice was denied. Seven years later, in
2015, Rajesh and Nupur Talwar, convicted for murdering their daughter,
are awaiting trial in the Allahabad High Court. The hope is that this
time, an informed public and vigilant, careful media coverage can ensure
a fair trial and that those responsible for Aarushi and Hemraj’s
murders are brought to justice."
See the the video - and related article - at the link below:
PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am monitoring this case/issue. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments. 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/c
