Aarushi case: Defence questions forensic report

The defence in the Aarushi-Hemraj double murder Wednesday questioned the basis on which a forensic expert drew his conclusions on test samples, while a special court here deferred the witness' cross-examination by a day.

During the cross-examination, defence lawyer G.P. Thareja asked B.K. Mahapatra, a scientist from the Central Forensic Science Laboratory, Delhi, about how he arrived at his conclusions.

Mahapatra told the court Aug 14 that the sexual assault of teen Aarushi could not be established on the basis of samples provided by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The defence lawyers filed an application that the basis of Mahapatra's findings should be put on the case file in the court and they be allowed to inspect it.

Special Judge S. Lal deferred Mahapatra's cross-examination till Thursday and kept pending the decision on the defence plea.

On July 31, the forensic expert told the court that blood stains found on Aarushi's clothes and her bed's mattress matched her blood group.

He said a whisky bottle, sent by the CBI for test, carried the finger prints of both Aarushi and Hemraj, her domestic help.

Nupur Talwar, teen Aarushi's mother and accused, Tuesday sought delaying the cross- examination of Mahapatra 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.

Nupur Talwar was taken into custody April 30. She challenged in the apex court the May 31 Allahabad High Court order rejecting her plea for bail. 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 Hemraj was found the next day on the terrace of the house.