Talwars submit list of 13 defence witnesses

Dentist couple Rajesh and Nupur Talwar today submitted a list of 13 witnesses, including former Uttar Pradesh ADG (crime and law &order) Arun Kumar, to a special CBI court in the Aarushi-Hemraj murder case trial.

Earlier, the couple's plea against CBI for dropping its 14 witnesses was rejected by the Supreme Court.

The apex court had said that once the recording of Talwar couple's statement is done, witnesses can be examined.

"How can you compel the other party? Law permits you to examine those witnesses. Why are you in hurry? Recording of your statement is going on. After that you try to examine them," the court had said.

Today, the couple submitted the list of 13 defence witnesses in the court, and asked to summon them.

However, CBI opposed summoning of some of the defence witnesses.

"We will file written reply on the list of Talwars' defence witnesses in trial court tomorrow," said CBI lawyer RK Saini.

The list also includes RK Sharma, former HOD of forensic science at AIIMS, Nodal officers of Airtel and Vodafone, Urmil Sharma, a gynaecologist and emeritus consultant at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital in Delhi, Dr Richa Sexena, Dr SL Vaya, expert at FSL in Gujarat, Rajinder Koul, a resident of Sector 47 in Gurgaon and Mahendra Sharma, a carpenter.

Talwars said that Arun Kumar, who was the joint director of CBI and supervising officer of the probe in the case, headed the first CBI probe team in the case and is a relevant witness.

Kumar also visited L-32 Jalawayu Vihar in Noida several times, they said.