New Delhi: A Delhi court has directed the Tihar Jail authorities to reschedule the psychiatric consultations of Aaftab Amin Poonawala, accused in the sensational murder case of Shraddha Walker, to Saturdays. Additional Sessions Judge Hargurvarinder Singh Jaggi passed the direction after Poonawala informed the court that his treatment sessions were clashing with the ongoing day-to-day trial in the case.
In an order dated July 31, the court said, “The court finds it appropriate to direct the concerned Jail Superintendent and the In-charge of the prison dispensary/ hospital to reschedule the consultation meeting of accused/ UTP Aftab Amin Poonawala for Saturdays, as the trial is in progress and at the stage of the prosecution evidence.”
Poonawala, who is lodged in Tihar Jail, submitted before the court that he had been undergoing psychiatric treatment for anxiety and related issues during his incarceration. He said the prison psychiatrist visited on Tuesdays, resulting in a conflict with the court proceedings, and requested that his consultations be shifted to Saturdays.
“Accused Aaftab Amin Poonawala submits that during incarceration, he has been undergoing psychiatric treatment for anxiety and other related issues. The concerned psychiatrist visits the prisons on scheduled Tuesdays and there seems to be a clash of timings,” the court order said. After hearing the submission, the court directed the jail superintendent and the in-charge of the prison dispensary/ hospital to reschedule the consultation meetings of the accused to Saturdays.
The judge noted that the trial was at the stage of prosecution evidence and had been proceeding on a day-to-day basis from July 21, on all working days from Monday to Friday, making it appropriate to alter the schedule of the medical consultations. The court also directed that a copy of the order be sent to the concerned jail superintendent for compliance and the accused be informed of the decision.
Walkar, a 27-year-old call centre employee, was allegedly murdered by her live-in partner Poonawala in May 2022. The prosecution alleged that he strangled her, chopped her body into multiple pieces, stored them in a refrigerator and disposed of them over several days in different parts of Delhi.
Poonawala, who had rented a flat in Delhi’s Mehrauli where the alleged murder took place, was arrested on November 12, 2022. The prosecution alleged that he dumped Walkar’s body parts in a forested area after the killing. The trial in the case has been pending since 2023. Walkar’s father, Vikas Walkar, who had pursued the case after her death, passed away in 2025.
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