Court orders daily hearing in Shraddha Walkar case, calls progress ‘tardy’

New Delhi: A Delhi court on Friday fast-tracked the Shraddha Walkar murder case by ordering day-to-day hearings from July 20 onwards and refused to entertain objections by the defence over such an arrangement.Noting a months-long lull in the trial, additional sessions judge Hargurvarinder Singh Jaggi said: “The perusal and examination of the case record reveals that indeed the trial... has been tardy. It is also observed that 13 prosecution witnesses have yet to complete their testimonies.”Although the defence counsel for accused Aaftab Poonawala said he was not available for day-to-day hearings, the court did not relent. Instead, Judge Jaggi said in a notice that Poonawala must make "arrangements to ensure that he is duly represented by an advocate.”From July 20 onwards, “the court will list this matter on a day-to-day basis from 2 pm onwards to record the testimonies of the following witnesses”, the court said.The observations came as the defence continued cross-examining prosecution witness head constable Deepak Kumar, a process that has stretched for nearly three months. Friday was the ninth day of his cross-examination as the defence alleged discrepancies in forensic evidence relating to the recovery of a plastic container reportedly used for storing the deceased’s body parts.Special public prosecutor Madhukar Pandey submitted that despite repeated opportunities to the defence, the cross-examination of the police witness, Deepak, has still not concluded. “The learned counsel further submitted that this way the trial will not come to an end,” the order recorded.Taking note of these hurdles, the court summoned five witnesses for their examination-in-chief from July 20 to July 25.According to the prosecution, Poonawala strangled his live-in partner Shraddha Walkar at their Mehrauli residence on May 18, 2022, before dismembering her body. Investigators allege he stored the body parts in a refrigerator and then dumped them at multiple locations across Delhi to conceal the crime.More than 250 prosecution witnesses have been examined since the trial started. During the proceedings, Walkar’s father, who has closely followed the case, also passed away.