SC revives Aarushi case, asks CBI for status report

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday sought to know the fate of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the May 2008 murder of Noida's teenaged girl Aarushi Talwar and her family's domestic help at her home in Delhi's suburb.

"What's the update on the case?" asked a bench of Justice Altmas Kabir and Justice Cyriac Joseph.

Dentist Rajesh Talwar's daughter Aarushi, 14, was found murdered in her flat May 16 last year. Their domestic help Hemraj's body was found a day later on the terrace of the same building.

The Noida police had arrested Aarushi's father on suspicion of murder, but as they failed in making progress, the case was handed over to the CBI.

The CBI let off Rajesh Talwar, saying there was no evidence against him.

The sensational case and the noted denist's arrest had generated a lot of controversy in the media.

The apex court referred to this case while hearing a public interest lawsuit by a city advocate, Surat Singh, who sought the court's directions for evolving a mechanism to ensure that the media does not end up tarnishing the image of the victim or her family while covering the ongoing criminal investigation.

Solicitor General Gopal Subramaniam promised he would apprise the court of the latest status of the probe and said the government would place the status report before it at the earliest.

The bench earlier asked the government to assess if there could be some mechanism to restrain the media in covering criminal cases under investigation or trial.

Earlier last year, the court asked the media to be cautious in covering the double murder case.

Rajesh Talwar also approached the apex court seeking to have his say in the ongoing case.

He wanted to refute the Noida Police allegations in October last year before the Supreme Court that he was involved in the murder.

"After having been prima facie satisfied with the involvement of Dr Talwar in the crime, he was arrested by the investigating officer," the police had said in an affidavit, submitted to the court in response to Singh's lawsuit.