New Delhi/Ghaziabad:
Nupur Talwar, accused of murdering her 13-year-old daughter Aarushi, has surrendered at the special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in Ghaziabad. She has been taken into custody by the court, which is now hearing a bail plea moved by her lawyers.
Opposing the bail plea, the CBI, in its reply has said that Mrs Talwar is an accused in a murder case and various earlier judgements in Supreme Court have said that the accused in murder cases should not be given bail. The probe agency also said that the magistrate court does not have the power to give bail.
A non-bailable warrant issued by the Ghaziabad court against her for not appearing in court lapsed today.
Mrs Talwar arrived at court along with her husband Rajesh, who is also accused of the murders of their daughter and their domestic help, Hemraj - both were found dead at the Talwar home in May 2008. The Talwars had filed two appeals in the Supreme Court: they had asked for the warrant against her to be suspended, and they want the Supreme Court to over-rule the Ghaziabad court which ordered that they must be tried for murder and destruction of evidence. The former was rejected by the Supreme Court; the latter will be heard on Friday.
While refusing to cancel the warrant against her, the Supreme Court judges said when Mrs Talwar applied for bail, her request would be promptly considered.
The warrant against Mrs Talwar was issued earlier this month because she refused to attend a hearing at the Ghaziabad court. The judge made it clear that the warrant was based only on Mrs Talwar's absence.
Aarushi was found dead in her bedroom in the Talwars' Noida apartment in May 2008. Her parents discovered her body. A few hours later, the corpse of their domestic help, Hemraj, was found on their roof.
Rajesh Talwar was arrested a week later by the Noida Police but he was released when the CBI took over the case and said that it did not have evidence against him.
In December 2010, the CBI told the Ghaziabad court handling the case that it wanted to file a closure report - a formal declaration that the case would remain unsolved. But the judge refused to grant that permission and said that Aarushi's parents should be tried for her murder.
On February 9 last year, the Special CBI court charged the Talwars with committing the double murder, criminal conspiracy and destruction of evidence. From then on, the dentist couple has approached higher courts several times to seek relief.