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Shraddha Walkar murder case : A Delhi court has heard a petition filed by Aftab Poonawala, the only accused in the country’s famous Shraddha Walker murder case. Aftab Poonawala, accused of cutting Shraddha into pieces in a flat in Delhi’s Mehrauli area, had pleaded in his petition to the court that the trial of his case should be held in just two days in a month so that his lawyers get enough time to defend him. The court rejected Aftab Poonawala’s petition and said that it seems that this petition is just a tool through which the trial is delayed. Along with this, the court also refused to hand over Shraddha’s bones for the last rites. The court said that this was needed for identification by police witnesses.
Shraddha Walkar was in a live-in-relationship with accused Aftab Poonawala. It is alleged that on May 18, 2022, Poonawala strangled Shraddha to death. In this case, the Delhi Police filed a 6,629-page charge sheet in the month of January last year. Poonawala is accused of cutting Shraddha’s body into pieces, keeping them in the fridge and then throwing these pieces at different deserted places in Delhi. Later, the police found the pieces of Shraddha’s body.
Earlier, while passing an order in this case, Additional Sessions Judge Manisha Khurana Kakkar said that out of 212 witnesses, 134 have testified, so the case needs continuous hearing for the testimony of all other witnesses. On Poonawala’s petition, the judge said, ‘The accused’s plea for hearing on only two dates in a month seems to be just a tool through which the trial can be delayed. The number of witnesses is very high and a lot of time is required to record the testimony of witnesses. Especially the police witnesses.’
A petition was filed by the victim’s father Vikas Walkar for handing over the bones of his daughter for the last rites. The petition states that the father of the deceased has the right to perform the last rites of his daughter. The court said that these rights cannot be crushed by slowing down the pace of the trial. The accused was given sufficient time to present his case on each date.
However, the court said that the remains of the victim cannot be handed over right now as the testimony of several policemen involved in recovering the bones is yet to be given. However, the court said that the fact has also been taken into account that a father has the right to cremate his daughter’s bones. Therefore, the case requires hearing every month so that a conclusion can be reached and at least some parts of the bones can be handed over to the father for cremation. Let us tell you that a case was registered against Poonawal under sections 302 and 201 of the Indian Penal Code.
