New Delhi:
The Supreme Court today issued a notice to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on a petition filed by Aarushi Talwar's parents Rajesh and Nupur Talwar seeking transfer of their daughter's murder case trial from Ghaziabad to Delhi.
In their petition, the dentist couple has argued that they want the trial to be shifted to Delhi due to security reasons. They have also pointed out that all witnesses in the case are in Delhi.
While issuing the notice, the Supreme Court asked the Talwars to request the Ghaziabad court to adjourn the hearing slated for tomorrow.
Aarushi, 14, the only daughter of the Talwars, was found dead with her throat slit at the family's Noida residence on the intervening night of May 15-16, 2008. The body of their domestic help Hemraj was found on the terrace the next day.
The Supreme Court had on January 6 asked the dentist couple to face trial in the murder of Aarushi, a class nine student, and Hemraj.
The investigation in the case was initially carried out by the Uttar Pradesh Police which had arrested Aarushi's father on May 23, 2008.
The probe was subsequently handed over to the CBI on May 29, 2008 and Rajesh was granted bail by the Ghaziabad court on July 11, 2008.
The CBI, after probing the murder for over two-and-half years, filed its closure report in the case in the Ghaziabad special CBI court, saying it had been unable to find out any evidence to prosecute the Talwars.
The trial court, however, rejected the CBI closure report, saying there was enough prima facie material in the agency's report to put the couple on trial for their alleged involvement in the twin murders and had issued summons to them to face trial.
The magistrate took cognisance of the case and summoned Talwars on February 9, 2011.
Rajesh and Nupur had subsequently gone to the Allahabad High Court, which had dismissed their pleas to quash the trial court summons and the proceedings initiated against them.
The Talwar couple then approached the apex court which had on March 19 last year stayed the trial against them but it vacated the stay last month. (With PTI Inputs)