Delhi court raps slow pace in Shraddha Walkar murder trial

A Delhi court on Tuesday sharply criticised the pace of proceedings in the high-profile Shraddha Walkar murder case, observing that there had been virtually no progress in the trial over the past three months and describing the situation as one of “complete tardiness”.

Additional Sessions Judge Hargurvinder Singh made the remarks while hearing the case against Aaftab Amin Poonawala, who is facing trial on charges of murder and destruction of evidence.

“What I call it... complete tardiness. It's been three months — March, April and May. We have seen no progress in the case,” the judge orally observed while addressing lawyers representing the parties.

The court also urged counsel to “gear up” after the summer vacation to ensure faster progress in the trial.

Witness cross-examination drags on

The court’s observations came as the defence continued cross-examining prosecution witness Head Constable Deepak Kumar, a process that has been underway for nearly three months. Tuesday marked the seventh day of his cross-examination.

During the hearing, defence lawyers questioned the witness over alleged discrepancies in forensic evidence relating to the recovery of Walkar’s jaw.

Referring to an earlier statement, the defence pointed out that the witness had testified the recovered jaw contained 15 teeth, including two with silver caps, whereas a forensic report recorded 11 teeth and one silver cap.

The witness maintained that the jaw produced in evidence was the same one recovered during the investigation.

The defence also questioned him regarding the recovery of hair allegedly belonging to Walkar. The witness said the hair was recovered from a roadside dustbin near an Indian Oil petrol pump and a wine shop on MG Road, acknowledging that the location was a public place accessible to anyone.

He further stated that a disclosure statement dated 19 November 2022 referred to an upper wooden cabinet above a water tank where the accused allegedly claimed to have temporarily shifted body parts.

Over 250 witnesses examined

According to the prosecution, Poonawala strangled his live-in partner Shraddha Walkar at their Mehrauli residence on 18 May 2022 before dismembering her body.

Investigators allege he stored the body parts in a refrigerator and later disposed of them at multiple locations across Delhi over several days in an attempt to conceal the crime.

More than 250 prosecution witnesses have already been examined since the trial commenced. During the proceedings, Walkar’s father, who had closely followed the case and regularly attended court hearings, also passed away.

The Delhi Police filed a 6,629-page chargesheet in January 2023, following which the trial court framed charges of murder and destruction of evidence against Poonawala.