By IANS,
Noida : Defence counsel for the three suspects in the murders of teenaged Aarushi Talwar and her domestic help Tuesday termed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) decision not to file a chargesheet as a “moral victory for the poor people” and reiterated that the three men – two domestic helps and a medical assistant – were not involved in the case.
Almost four months after the sensational double murders in Noida on May 16, the CBI Tuesday admitted it has made no headway in the murders of Aarushi and her domestic help Hemraj. Conceding its failure to unravel the murders, the premier investigating agency said it was not charging anybody with the double murders and announced a reward of Rs.100,000 for clues leading to the evidence.
The CBI also said it would not file a chargesheet in the case anytime soon and would not oppose bail for the accused – Krishna, Rajkumar and Vijay Mandal.
The investigating agency was to submit its chargesheet before Sep 10, 2008, to meet the 90-day deadline since the first arrest in the case – that of Aarushi’s dentist father Rajesh Talwar on May 23.
Defence counsel Naresh Yadav said it is the failure of the CBI and the three accused had been “falsely implicated” in the case.
“We have been reiterating since the beginning that the three are not involved in the murders. But the CBI, on the basis of scientific tests, took the three into judicial custody. Today’s admission by the CBI is a moral victory for us and the poor people involved in this case,” said Yadav.
The defence is optimistic that Krishna and Rajkumar will be released soon, while Vijay Mandal has already been released on bail by a Ghaziabad court.
On the other hand, Rajesh Talwar’s defence counsel Satish Tamta and Praveen Rai expressed shock over the CBI’s statements.
“The accused will be set free soon and may tamper with the evidence. The relations between the Talwar family and the accused have also turned sour. There is a potential threat to our client due to the release of the accused. The family has so far not spoken to us regarding the case, and we feel they should be left alone after the tragic loss of their child,” Praveen Rai told IANS.
Lawyer Tamta said the Talwar family was “disappointed” with the CBI’s statements. “We still have faith in the CBI and the way they proceeded in the case. It was only through their investigations that Rajesh Talwar was able to come out of the murder charges. The CBI has done its best to find out the real culprits. We have to wait till something substantial is found. The loss of Aarushi is irreparable to the family and we will continue to fight for her cause.”
“If these people are not the real culprits, then those involved in the murders should be found out. If the CBI does not find the real culprits, then we will look up to the judiciary to get us justice in this case,” Tamta added.