Aarushi case: Forensic scientist’s cross-examination on
Ghaziabad : A Central Forensic Science laboratory (CFSL) scientist, who carried out tests of samples in the Aarushi-Hemraj murder case, Friday told a CBI court that he had followed the guidelines of his own institution and not of the national testing board, a lawyer said.
According Manoj Shishodia, defence counsel, CFSL’s B.K. Mahapatra said “no” to a query whether he shot photos of the articles collected for performing tests as rules laid down the by National Accreditation Board of Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL).
Mahapatra said the CFSL has its own manual, and according to it he performed the tests on the DNA collected from Aarushi’s vaginal swab and the DNA collected from the blood stains on her bed sheet.
The cross-examination of the scientist continued for the second day and the court of special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Judge S. Lal adjourned the proceeding till monday (Aug 27), added the lawyer.
The CBI court has also yet to decide on the application of Aarushi’s mother Nupur Talwar, an accused, in which she has requested the testimony of the 13 witnesses be conducted on priority basis. The CBI apprehended these witnesses could be influenced by her if she was granted bail by the Supreme Court.
But the trial court kept the application in wait and continued to proceed the cross-examination of the CFSL scientist.
Talwar earlier filed another application and sought delaying Mahapatra’s cross-examination so that 13 other key witnesses could depose in the court, ahead of the hearing on her bail plea in the Supreme Court next month.
She was taken into custody April 30 and challenged in the apex court the May 31 Allahabad High Court order rejecting her bail plea. She is lodged in Dasna jail in Ghaziabad. Her husband and co-accused Rajesh Talwar is out on bail.
Aarushi, 14, was found murdered at her parents’ Noida residence May 16, 2008. The body of the family’s domestic help Hemraj was found the next day on the terrace of the house.