The Delhi High Court Friday directed the Tihar jail authorities to allow Aaftab Poonawala, an accused in the 2022 Shraddha Walkar murder case, to be “unlocked” for eight hours a day like other prison inmates before being sent back to solitary confinement. The HC was hearing Poonawala's plea claiming that “under the garb of his security”, he is being locked in for “22 hours a day out of 24”, which cannot be done as per jail rules. A division bench of Justice Suresh Kumar Kait and Justice Girish Kathpalia directed, “Since it is the request of the petitioner’s counsel, we direct the jail authorities to unlock him for eight hours, as applicable to other prisoners, and during the night, he be lodged in a solitary cell.” Poonawala's counsel submitted that he had been kept in solitary confinement since last year. He said that his client is released for one hour in the morning and one hour in the evening, while other inmates are unlocked for eight hours a day. He further submitted that Poonawala had not committed any jail offence. The counsel appearing for jail authorities submitted that Poonawala was not kept with other inmates due to a “threat perception”. He argued that the trial court had last year passed directions on giving due security to Poonawala after he was “attacked” while being taken to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) in Rohini. Poonawala is accused of killing his live-in-partner Walkar on the night of May 18, 2022, inside their house in Chattarpur Pahadi in South Delhi. He allegedly disposed of the body in a nearby forest by cutting it into pieces over the course of several weeks.
