Setting the stage for trial, a court here on Tuesday framed charges of murder and disappearance of evidence against Aaftab Amin Poonawala, accused of strangling his live-in partner Shraddha Walkar to death and chopping her body into pieces.
Additional Sessions Judge Manisha Khurana Kakkar said the prosecution had placed on record “sufficient material” and prima facie a case was made out against the accused.
The court, however, said whether Poonawala could be convicted for both offences was a matter of trial and could not be decided at the present stage.
“… Sufficient material has been placed on record by the prosecution which warrants trial of the accused for both the offences. From the aforesaid material placed on record by the prosecution, a prima facie case for the offences under sections 302 (murder) and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence) of the Indian Penal Code is made out against the accused,” the judge said.
“Accordingly, charges for the offences under sections 302 and 201 of the IPC are framed against the accused. The charge is read over and explained to the accused in the presence of his counsel and the accused has submitted that he has understood the charge and thereafter, the accused has stated he does not plead guilty and he has claimed trial,” the judge added.
ASJ Kakkar noted the “circumstantial and corroborative evidence” relied upon by the prosecution, including the recovery of bones, a bunch of hair, and the jaw of the deceased which Poonawala had allegedly disposed of to conceal the murder along with the last seen evidence and digital trails.