'Faced Pressure To Hide Rape Angle In Aarushi's Postmortem'

A senior police officer and a crucial witness in the Aarushi-Hemraj murder case deposed before a special CBI court on Thursday that he faced pressure to suppress the rape angle in the postmortem of the teenager.

Former Noida Superintendent of Police K. K. Gautam, during chief examination, told the court that Sushil Chaudhry, chairman of Noida Eye Hospital and a friend of slain teenager Aarushi's uncle Dinesh Talwar, had called him and requested him to hide the rape angle in the postmortem. Gautam said he refused: "But I said I can not help in this matter."

Gautam also told the trial court that he was asked to ensure an expeditious postmortem.

Gautam is the first crucial witness out of the 13 who were directed to depose before September 17. He said Chaudhry had also called him on the morning of May 17, 2008, to accompany him to the condolence meeting for Aarushi. They both went there and attended the meeting, where Chaudhry introduced him to Dinesh, Gautam said.

The witness identified Dinesh in the court on Thursday. "I also asked Dinesh to show me the crime spot. He took me to the rooms of Aarushi and Hemraj and near the staircase which led to the roof, where he showed me the blood stains on the staircase and railing," Gautam said in his deposition.

The witness further stated that Dinesh requested him to get the lock at the staircase opened. "Then I called Superintendent of Police (City) Mahesh Mishra and informed him that there are some blood stains and the lock needs to be opened," he said.

Mishra, according to Gautam, said he would reach the spot but before that would send the then station officer Dataram Nauneria. "The SO reached the crime spot and asked for the key, but Dinesh said he did not have it. The SO then broke open the lock and reached the roof where they found blood on the middle of the roof and a body was dragged from there to a corner," he said. The body was covered by a bedsheet, and a cooler panel was also lying on it.

Police asked about the body, but Dinesh feigned ignorance about his identity. Meanwhile, the Superintendent of Police (City) had also reached the spot. The Talwars' counsel cross-examined the witness, and the cross-examination was completed on Thursday.

The hearing continued on Friday. Aarushi, 14, was found murdered at her parents' Noida residence on May 16, 2008, while the body of the family's domestic help, Hemraj, was found the next day on the terrace of the house. Aarushi's parents, Rajesh and Nupur Talwar, were facing trial in the case at the time — they were convicted in 2013 and later acquitted by the Allahabad High Court in October 2017.