CBI today told the Supreme Court that none of its authorised officers had leaked to the media fresh reports speculating about the alleged role of the Talwar couple in the murder of their daughter Aarushi and domestic help Hemraj.
"It appears that the 'sources' mentioned by the petitioner (Rajesh Talwar) are not any of the CBI officers authorised to brief the press.
"CBI follows a consistent and clear media policy and all concerned, including the media, have been sensitised about using only the authorised channels for getting the correct information," the agency said in an affidavit.
However, it did not deny or confirm the contents of the news reports.
A Bench of justices Altamas Kabir and AK Patnaik, while taking on record the affidavit, adjourned the matter by two weeks.
CBI has filed the affidavit in response to the Bench's earlier direction on an application moved by Rajesh Talwar, father of Aarushi, alleging the family's reputation was being tarnished by the media by carrying purported leaks from CBI.
According to CBI, the media has been periodically advised to interact only with authorised officers and cited the press release issued by it on July 22, vis-a-vis the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter killing case that they should contact only authorised officers for information.
The apex court, during the brief hearing, also expressed anger over the Pioneer newspaper publishing an article eliciting public opinion as to whether it was justified in reporting the case.
"They have to explain to us whether their action is contemptuous or not. Not to the public. You tell the newspaper," the Bench told counsel appearing for the newspaper.
Aarushi, the 14-year-old daughter of dentists Rajesh and Nupur Talwar, was found dead with her throat slit at her home at Jalvayu Vihar in Noida on May 16, 2008. Hemraj was also found murdered in the same house.
The apex court had, by two separate orders on July 23, 2008 and August 9, 2010, on a PIL filed by advocate Surat Singh, restrained the media from sensational or scandalous reporting of Aarushi murder case.
The apex court also issued notices to the "Mail Today" and "Pioneer" newspapers on the application of Aarushi's parents criticising their recent articles purportedly inferring the couples' involvement in the murder of their daughter and Hemraj.
Senior counsel Pinaki Mishra, appearing for the Talwars, had alleged the newly-constituted CBI probe team handling the murder case was proceeding on the direction adopted initially by the UP police which had charged the Talwars with carrying out the murder of the girl and the servant after they were allegedly found in a compromising position.
Mishra submitted that though the previous CBI team had given a clean chit to the Talwars, the new team was trying to undo what all the earlier team had done and instead adopt the line taken by the Uttar Pradesh police as the agency's Joint Director of CBI, heading the probe, was a UP police cadre officer.
