When a 14 year old girl is found brutally murdered in her own home, one expects the murderer to be tried immediately. However, it works differently in India where the duration of the trial has been two years and still counting. The Noida double murder case of Aarushi Talwar and Hemraj has been on since May 2008.
Aarushi was found dead with her throat slit in her house, on 16th May 2008. The first suspect was the missing domestic servant, Hemraj. However, the next day his body was found on the terrace of Talwar’s residence. This turned the case around and was open to further investigations. Owing to the complexity of the case it was transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation. Due to lack of evidence against the other servants, the next obvious suspect, Aarushi’s father, was taken into custody.
While the CBI was carrying out the polygraph test and Narco analysis tests, the media virtually took it up as their personal responsibility to see the end of the case. They called upon people from all fields to be on the panel to express their opinions on the manner in which the case was shaping up. The manner in which the case was covered received countrywide attention and was indicative of the media’s sensationalism. The media has been accused of holding trials and passing judgement even before the court made its decision. The continuous portrayal of Dr Talwar as the ‘murderer’ caused a lot of anger among the people across the country. Such incidents can sometimes go on to put pressure on the judicial system, even leading to certain wrong decisions and at times, delayed judgements.
The recent development in the case is that the judge took cognizance of the CBI closure report and summoned Dr Nupur and Dr Rajesh Talwar as accused in the murders. This will without a doubt attract similar media attention. However, it is vital that the media acts responsibly. Instead of pressurizing the court, they should let the law take its course and let justice be delivered.
Aarushi was found dead with her throat slit in her house, on 16th May 2008. The first suspect was the missing domestic servant, Hemraj. However, the next day his body was found on the terrace of Talwar’s residence. This turned the case around and was open to further investigations. Owing to the complexity of the case it was transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation. Due to lack of evidence against the other servants, the next obvious suspect, Aarushi’s father, was taken into custody.
While the CBI was carrying out the polygraph test and Narco analysis tests, the media virtually took it up as their personal responsibility to see the end of the case. They called upon people from all fields to be on the panel to express their opinions on the manner in which the case was shaping up. The manner in which the case was covered received countrywide attention and was indicative of the media’s sensationalism. The media has been accused of holding trials and passing judgement even before the court made its decision. The continuous portrayal of Dr Talwar as the ‘murderer’ caused a lot of anger among the people across the country. Such incidents can sometimes go on to put pressure on the judicial system, even leading to certain wrong decisions and at times, delayed judgements.
The recent development in the case is that the judge took cognizance of the CBI closure report and summoned Dr Nupur and Dr Rajesh Talwar as accused in the murders. This will without a doubt attract similar media attention. However, it is vital that the media acts responsibly. Instead of pressurizing the court, they should let the law take its course and let justice be delivered.
