The Killing Of Aarushi And The Murder Of Justice

The Killing of Aarushi and the Murder of Justice

The Aarushi Talwar murder case gripped the imagination of the nation for the better part of a decade, and is likely to remain a running story for many more years. The case involved the shocking and heinous murder of a young teenage girl, Aarushi and the family servant Hemraj, and was first investigated by the state police that allowed the crime scene to be heavily contaminated and robbed of all direct evidence. The case took many twists and turns, which were widely reported in the media. Initially the Talwars, Nupur and Rajesh, dentists and parents of the young girl were suspected of the crime by the state police, but subsequently when investigation was handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the country's premier investigative agency, the first team investigating the matter reached the conclusion that the Talwars were innocent and it was Hemraj's associates that had committed the murders. The case took another turn when a fresh investigating team was put in charge following the appointment of a new director. This new team exonerated the servants and directed the needle of suspicion once more towards the Talwars. In the trial that followed the Talwars were found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment. Many questions, however, still remain. This book considers some of those unanswered questions, examines the judgement and related material closely in the context of three possible scenarios, and concludes that the Talwars were probably innocent and should at any rate been given the benefit of reasonable doubt. The author of a bestselling book on the Nirbhaya case makes a compelling case as to why the Aarushi Talwar murder case remains one of the most debated, but ultimately unsolved, crimes of this century. Be that as it may, the country now awaits the verdict of the Allahabad High Court.

The Killing of Aarushi and the Murder of Justice

Justice Delayed and Denied in India

The wheels of justice turn slowly. This increases the costs of accessing justice in addition to hampering people’s ability to access justice from the courts. India is one of the countries whose inefficient justice systems are legendary. Most cases lag for years and in so doing delaying people justice. A significant number of all the cases filed in Indian courts remain unresolved for at least five years – the number has become increasingly alarming over the years. Some cases may take as much as 20 years to resolve. During this period, the people who required justice are deprived of it. In some instances, the accused persons died before the cases are resolved. Examples of cases that have taken an extremely long time to resolve include the Bhopal Disaster, Aarushi Murder Case, Pallavi Purkayastha Murder Case, Jayalalita DA Case, Hashimpura Massacre, Raja Radhakrishna Deb Land Case, Aadhaar Scheme, 1992 Babri Masjid Demolition, Uphaar Cinema Fire Case, and 1984 Anti-Sikh Riots Case. These cases highlight some of the reasons as to why the Indian judicial system is highly inefficient. They also highlight the untold suffering that the delay of justice causes certain people while propagating the culture of impunity in the Indian society where the powerful and well-connected can get away with anything at the expense of the weak and vulnerable. Generally, the factors lead to the delay of justice in the Indian judiciary include inadequate staff, lack of enough fast track courts, corruption, archaic laws, lack of technology, lack of public education, lack of adequate integration of technology in the judicial system, inadequate Lok Adalat courts, poor staff training and management, and the court appellate structure and management. These factors increase the duration of lawsuits and reduce the access of justice to common Indians. They also increase the cost of access to justice. This book addresses these issues in relation to the Indian judiciary system and proposes measures that may be taken to tackle these challenges.