Nupur Talwar not to be arrested during pendency of plea - SC

The CBI, which had raided dentist Nupur Talwar's residence after issuance of non-bailable warrant against her, on Friday submitted to the Supreme Court that it would not arrest her during the pendency of her plea against the NBW.

As soon as the proceedings on Nupur's plea began, a bench of justices A K Patnaik and J S Khehar expressed unhappiness over CBI's action against her and said she has to be protected.

Sensing the mood of the court, additional solicitor general Haren Raval, appearing for the investigating agency assured the court that no coercive action would be taken against her.

He informed the court that CBI was well aware of her movements but did not arrest her.

The bench after hearing Raval's contention said, "We have total faith in you" and referred Nupur Talwar's petition to the Chief Justice of India for its allocation to an appropriate bench for its hearing.

The bench said it had entertained Nupur's plea on Thursday under wrong impression that it was part of her review petition, being heard by it.

Nupur Talwar, who is allegedly evading arrest in the twin murder case of her daughter Aarushi and domestic help Hemraj, was also present in the courtroom when the matter was being heard.

In a desperate bid to evade her arrest in the case related to murders of her daughter Aarushi and domestic aide Hemraj, dentist Nupur Talwar had on Thursday moved the Supreme Court challenging the non-bailable warrant (NBW) issued against her by a Ghaziabad trial court.

The CBI had carried out searches at her premises in Delhi and neighbouring Noida on April 11 following the warrant issued against her, but had not been able to locate her.

Nupur and her husband Rajesh Talwar, also a dentist, are facing trial in the nearly four-year-old twin murder case of their daughter and domestic help.

Aarushi was found dead with her throat slit at their Noida residence on the night intervening May 15 and 16, 2008, while the body of Hemraj was recovered from the terrace of the house the next day.

Nupur has also challenged the April 9 order of the Allahabad high court, which had suspended its earlier order asking a CBI court at Ghaziabad to "expeditiously" decide any bail application moved by her.

Nupur pleaded in her petition that besides being an aggrieved mother and law abiding citizen, she also enjoys the reputation as one of the best dental surgeons of this country and if she would be arrested, then people would not make any distinction between arrest at a pre-conviction stage or post-conviction stage of this present case.

The special CBI court in Ghaziabad, while issuing NBW, has fixed April 18 as the next date of hearing and has directed that Nupur be produced before it on that date.