Shraddha Walkar murder case: Court dismisses accused Aaftab Poonawala’s plea to limit hearings to twice a month

“Moreover, the right of the accused to fair trial cannot be allowed to completely trump the right of the victim to a dignified cremation as well as the right of the surviving heir of the deceased to cremate the body of the deceased with dignity and respect,” said Additional Sessions Judge Manisha Khurana Kakkar in an order dated July 6.

However, the court refused to immediately release the bones of the victim for her cremation on her father’s request saying it was required for identification by police witnesses. The court also called the application “a tool to protract and delay the trial” adding that the number of prosecution witnesses was excessive and considerable time was required to record their testimonies.

Special Public Prosecutor Amit Prasad submitted before the court that fixing two dates of hearing in a month would significantly delay the trial stating that recording the testimony of one police witness constable spanned over seven hearings.

As per the 6,629-page chargesheet filed by the Delhi Police, Shraddha Walkar was allegedly strangled by Poonawala on May 18, 2022, after which he chopped her body parts into 35 pieces, and kept them in a fridge inside the house they shared. Aaftab Poonawalla then allegedly disposed of these pieces across the city.