Distraught parents of Nupur say they`ll appeal against verdict

Noida: The parents of Nupur Talwar, who was sentenced on Tuesday to life imprisonment along with her husband for killing their daughter Aarushi and domestic help Hemraj, said they were shattered by the verdict and would appeal against it.

"They are very, very innocent. Rajesh (and Nupur) are so happy couple, I have never seen in my life before... "What can I say about this court? I can`t say anything. I just do not want to say anything about this court and judiciary. We are just fighting for the truth and we want the truth," Nupur`s mother Lata Chitnis said She raised doubts over the initial investigation by Uttar Pradesh police and later by the CBI. "These people have shattered their life and ours. We are suffering. What to do? We are waiting for the proper judgement. We are going to higher court. We have nothing to do? Just sitting and crying. Aarushi, Nupur and Rajesh, such innocent people," said Lata before bursting into tears. Nupur`s father BG Chitnis, who has worked in the Air Force for long and took part in many wars, said he felt "let down" by the court`s verdict. "I was in Indian Air Force. I was part of the war efforts in 1962, 1969 and 1971 when I fought for the country...A stage has come now in my life where I am wondering whether has the nation let me down? What have I done to deserve this? This is a very sad moment in my life," he said. "Has the court tried to find the truth? I do not think so. It is their duty to find the truth," an anguished Chitnis said. Hitting out at probe agencies, he said, "what they have done is first they made a story, came out of that story and then tried to collect the evidence. "When they did not find the evidence, they fabricated it. What else?". His wife backed the probe in the case led by the then CBI Joint Director Arun Kumar. "Arun Kumar has brought out the truth, actually. Then what happened. This (new) team came and everything got changed. How did it happen? I do not know?," Lata said. She also supported the role of media in the case and regretted avoiding them initially "at the instance of police and CBI". "Police also said this, do not talk to media and we believed them. Then afterwards CBI said (the same), we believed them. Second team (of CBI) we believed them. We believed too much in them. We believed everybody. That was our mistake actually. "We could have realised that only media was helping us. But they (police and CBI) said no, no, it was affecting our investigation. 30-40 people were standing there. They did not allow (us) to speak to them," said Lata. A special CBI court in Ghaziabad today sentenced Rajesh and Nupur Talwar to rigorous life imprisonment for killing Aarushi and Hemraj. 14-year-old Aarushi was killed in the intervening night of May 15-16, 2008 at Talwars` Jal Vayu Vihar residence. The body of Hemraj was found the next day on the house`s terrace.