New Delhi, Jun 9 A Delhi court has dismissed three applications moved by the prosecution seeking permission to examine overseas witnesses through video conferencing in the sensational Shraddha Walkar murder case.
Additional Sessions Judge Hargurvarinder Singh Jaggi, however, granted liberty to the prosecution to file fresh applications under the newly notified Electronic Evidence and Video Conferencing Rules, 2025.
In an order dated June 1, the court said, "It is of the considered opinion that on account of change of law, with coming in force of new comprehensive rules, the Electronic Evidence and Video Conferencing Rules, 2025, all three applications are dismissed."
Walkar, a call centre employee who was 27 years old then, was allegedly killed by her partner Aaftab Poonawala in 2022. Aaftab is accused of chopping Shraddha's body into multiple pieces after strangling her and keeping them in a fridge before disposing of them in Delhi over several days. The accused, who had rented a flat in the Mehrauli area where he committed the crime, was arrested on November 12, 2022.
The applications, filed by the investigating officer between December 2024 and July 2025, sought permission to record testimonies of nodal officers from multinational companies including Google, Bumble, Hopper and WhatsApp/ Meta, who are based in the United States and the United Kingdom.
The prosecution argued that summoning the foreign-based witnesses physically before the court would lead to substantial delay in the conclusion of the trial and the use of technology could help expedite proceedings.
However, the Defence counsel, Akshay Bhandari, opposed the applications, contending that under the Delhi High Court Video Conferencing Rules, 2021, consent of the accused was mandatory before recording testimony of overseas witnesses through video conferencing in criminal cases.
The court said that the legal framework governing video conferencing underwent a significant change during the pendency of the applications.
It noted that while the 2021 rules expressly required consent of the accused before examination of overseas witnesses through video conferencing, the new 2025 rules removed that requirement.
Holding that two of the applications were overtaken by the change in law during their pendency, the court said the interests of justice would be served by permitting the State to move fresh applications under the new rules.
"All three applications are dismissed with liberty to the prosecution to move an appropriate application afresh under EE-VC Rules, 2025 in accordance with law," the court said.
The court then listed the matter for further proceedings on July 20.
