New Delhi, May 19 A Delhi court on Tuesday expressed displeasure over the slow pace of proceedings in the Shraddha Walkar murder case, saying that the last three months witnessed "complete tardiness", with virtually no progress in the matter.
Additional Sessions Judge Hargurvinder Singh made the observations during a hearing in which the prosecution submitted evidence and witnesses were cross-examined.
"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 remarked while addressing lawyers appearing in the matter.
The court also asked the counsel to “gear up” after the summer vacation.
The remarks came as the defence continued its cross-examination of prosecution witness, Head Constable Deepak Kumar, which has been underway for nearly three months. Tuesday marked the seventh day of the his cross-examination.
During the proceedings, the defence questioned the witness over alleged discrepancies in forensic details related to the recovery of the deceased's jaw. Referring to his earlier deposition, the counsel pointed out that the witness had stated that the recovered jaw had 15 teeth, including two with silver caps, whereas the forensic report recorded 11 teeth and one silver cap.
To this, the witness maintained that it was the same jaw that had been recovered.
The witness was also questioned about the recovery of hair allegedly belonging to Walkar. Head Constable Deepak Kumar said the hair was recovered from a roadside dustbin from MG Road, near an Indian Oil fuel station and wine shop and acknowledged that it was a public place accessible to everyone.
On being asked whether the accused had mentioned an upper wooden cabinet placed above a water tank in any disclosure statement, the witness said it was referred to in a disclosure statement dated November 19, 2022, in which the accused allegedly stated that he used to shift body parts there.
More than 250 witnesses have already been examined by the prosecution in the case since trial proceedings began. During the course of the trial, Walkar's father, who had been pursuing the case and frequently attending court proceedings, also passed away.
Aaftab Amin Poonawala allegedly strangled his live-in partner Shraddha Walkar at their Mehrauli residence on May 18, 2022, and chopped her body into pieces.
According to the prosecution, he stored the body parts in a refrigerator before disposing them at different locations across the national capital over several days to evade detection.
Delhi Police filed a 6,629-page chargesheet in the case on January 24, 2023. A trial court later framed charges of murder and destruction of evidence against Poonawala.
