Indian Couple Sentenced to Life For Murder of Daughter And Housekeeper

A court in India has sentenced two married dentists to life in prison for killing their 14-year-old daughter and their housekeeper, resolving a five-year-old case that dominated headlines and polarised the country.

Rajesh and Nupur Talwar, from the Delhi suburb of Noida, had reportedly broken down in tears when they were convicted on Monday and vowed to appeal the verdict.

A defence lawyer, Rebecca John, said after Tuesday's sentencing that the case against the Talwars, based largely on circumstantial evidence, amounted to a "witch-hunt" and said: "There has been a serious miscarriage of justice in this case."

The couple came under suspicion soon after their daughter, Aarushi, was found dead in her bedroom, her throat slit with surgical precision.

Police initially named the Talwars' missing Nepali housekeeper as the prime suspect, until his body was found a day later on a terrace above Aarushi's room.

The double murder became one of the most closely watched cases in recent memory in India, with dramatic turns by police and prosecutors seizing national headlines and launching debates over details of the case.

Prosecutors for the Central Bureau of Investigation had asked for the death penalty.

"Such crime comes under the rarest of rare cases," a prosecutor, Naresh Yadav, said. "So they should be awarded maximum punishment."

The investigation determined both victims had been hit with a golf club and later had their throats slit.

Police offered several possible motives in prosecuting the parents, including an "honour" killing.

Several other suspects had been questioned by police. After the case stalled, the Talwars demanded a fresh investigation in 2011.

The couple were also sentenced to an additional five years in prison for destruction of evidence.