Mehrauli murder: Delhi court to pronounce order on framing charges on Saturday
Darpan News Desk IANS, 28 Apr, 2023 10:46 AM
New Delhi, April 28 (IANS) A Delhi court is likely to pronounce its order on Saturday on framing charges against Aaftab Amin Poonawala who is accused of strangling his live-in partner Shraddha Walkar to death in the capital's Mehrauli area, and then chopping her body into several pieces.
Additional Sessions Judge Manisha Khurana Kakkar, after having reserved the order on on framing charges on April 15, had posted it to April 29 for its pronouncement.
Moreover, the Delhi Police is also scheduled to file its reply to Vikas Walkar's (Shraddha's father) application seeking the release of his daughter's remains to perform last rites.
Special Public Prosecutor Amit Prasad had, during the last hearing, said that the police will file a reply on the application on the next date of hearing.
Arguments on charges were also completed last time.
The Delhi Police had earlier told the court that incriminating circumstances are clearly revealed through reliable and clinching evidence and they form a chain of events.
Poonawala has been booked for the offences under Sections 302 (murder) and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence) of the IPC.
A charge sheet running over 6,000 pages was filed in the case.
The officials said that some dreaded criminals were lodged in the same ward, adding that Sisodia has not raised any complaint in food or other things so far. Sisodia, who was arrested on February 26 in the Delhi excise policy case, was lodged in the cell on Monday after due formalities which included some medical tests.
Special public prosecutor (SPP) Amit Prasad argued the charges against Poonawala. It was submitted that the accused is a trained chef from Taj Hotel and is aware of preserving the flesh. Poonawala had also ordered dry ice, agarbatti etc. after killing Shraddha Walker, the police said.
Carrying placards, father Balkaur Singh and mother Charan Kaur told the media it has been almost a year of the crime occurrence and the main culprits have not been arrested.They demanded that the case should be investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) as crucial witnesses "are being eliminated and nothing is going in their favour."
The accused were identified as Mohd. Danish (33) and Danish alias Raja (30), both residents of Sambhal in Uttar Pradesh. Police have also recovered five high end luxury cars and SUVs from the possession of the accused.
The cause of the provocation is yet to be ascertained, an official told IANS, adding the situation is under control. Videos of the ruckus were viral on the social media. Many parked vehicles and a nearby police station was pelted on with stones.
The court had, on March 4, extended Sisodia's CBI custody for two days and listed his bail plea for March 10 and in the last two days, the CBI questioned him with key witnesses -- former excise commissioner Arva Gopi Krishna and former excise department secretary C. Arvind -- in this case, who recorded their statements in front of a magistrate.
