Blow would have incapacitated Aarushi: Defence witness

Deposing before the court of Additional Sessions Judge Shyam Lal,Sharma said,“If a child of 13 or 14 years is lying on a bed and she has a wound measuring 8 cm by 2 cm,she would have fallen unconscious immediately after the blow was struck and would have not been able to cry for help. The wound on Aarushi would have caused a great amount of blood loss and she would have been incapacitated immediately.”

Injuries were found to the back of the heads of both Aarushi and Hemraj. According to the CBI theory,Rajesh Talwar had used a golf stick to inflict both injuries.

Sharma also told court that the cut on Aarushi’s neck could not have been made in one stroke by “scalpel number 10”.

“Scalpel number 10 is used normally during post-mortem examinations. Surgeons,pathologists and anatomy specialists use scalpel number 10. Dentists don’t use this scalpel as it is used to cut skin. Aarushi’s neck could not have been slit in one stroke by such a scalpel because it is a light instrument and often when pressure is put on it,it breaks,” Sharma said.

According to CBI,the Talwars had made the cuts with a surgical scalpel,as they are both dentists and have easy access to medical equipment.

Through the trial,the defence had argued that it was more likely that the injuries were made by a khukri,owned by Hemraj’s friends,Vijay Mandal and Rajkumar and Rajesh’s former employee Krishna. During CBI investigations,a khukri with faint bloodstains was found among Krishna’s belongings,but forensic reports could not identify if the blood was human.

Sharma earlier told the court of Additional Session Judge Shyam Lal that it was possible the injuries had been made by a khukri as they were “deep cuts”. “If a curved injury is made by scalpel it will not be deep. But a khukri is heavier and curved,and such an injury can be inflicted in one stroke,” Sharma said.

Sharma also argued against the theory that Aarushi’s private parts were cleaned after her death. “After death,when rigor mortis sets in,if the private parts are touched,there will be

perimortem (after-death) injuries,depending on the amount of force used,” Sharma had told the court on Monday.