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Aarushi Murder
SC: CBI free to drop witnesses
Legal Correspondent

New Delhi, May 28
The Supreme Court today ruled that the CBI was free to choose the witnesses it wanted to examine in the trial court in the case relating to the murder of 14-year-old Aarushi Talwar in May 2008 and the victim’s parents, the main accused, had no right to challenge the agency’s decision to drop 14 witnesses.

A Bench comprising Justices BS Chauhan and Dipak Misra said the CBI could not be forced to summon all its witnesses for examination in the trial court.

The apex court made the observations while dismissing a petition filed by the accused dentist couple, Rajesh and Nupur, challenging an Allahabad HC order rejecting their plea for summoning the witnesses dropped by the CBI.

If the Talwars wanted to examine the 14 witnesses, including the then CBI Joint Director Arun Kumar and a senior police officer of Uttar Pradesh, they could move an application in the trial court at the appropriate time, the Bench clarified. “Why are you in a hurry? Recording of your statement is going on. After that you try to examine these witnesses,” the Bench reasoned.