New Delhi, 31 July (H.S.): The Delhi High Court has disposed of a petition seeking completion of the trial in the high-profile Shraddha murder case within a fixed timeframe, stating that the trial is already being conducted on a day-to-day basis and there is no need for any further direction.

During the hearing, advocate Seema Kushwaha, appearing for the petitioner, submitted that given the current pace of proceedings, the trial could take another two to three years to conclude. The Delhi Police is currently recording the statements of witnesses in the case.

The Saket Court had framed charges against the accused, Aaftab Amin Poonawala, on May 9, 2023, under Section 302 (murder) and Section 201 (causing disappearance of evidence) of the Indian Penal Code. The Delhi Police had informed the court that Aaftab allegedly carried out the crime after careful planning.

The Delhi Police had argued that circumstantial evidence indicated that the live-in relationship between Shraddha and Aaftab was abusive and violent. The police told the court that Shraddha had also been consulting doctors through the Practo app. During the proceedings, the police played a counselling video of Shraddha in which she allegedly stated that Aaftab would find her and kill her.

The police further claimed that Shraddha had accused Aaftab of physically assaulting and abusing her. According to the prosecution, she had alleged that Aaftab threatened to kill her, dismember her body and had also attempted to harm her in the past.

The Delhi Police informed the court that during the investigation, remains including bones, a jaw and blood traces were recovered. The police also claimed that blood stains belonging to Shraddha were found inside the freezer and on the cupboard in the room.

The Saket Court took cognisance of the charge sheet filed by the Delhi Police on February 7, 2023. The police had submitted a 6,629-page charge sheet on January 24, 2023, naming Aaftab as the sole accused. The charge sheet is based on statements of around 100 witnesses along with forensic and electronic evidence.

According to the prosecution, Aaftab allegedly murdered Shraddha and dismembered her body into around 30 pieces. The body parts were allegedly kept in a refrigerator before being disposed of at different locations. Later, police recovered several body parts based on information provided by Aaftab during the investigation.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar