NEW DELHI: A Delhi court has instructed the authorities at Tihar Jail to take urgent protective measures for Aaftab Amin Poonawala, the man accused of murdering his live-in partner Shraddha Walkar in 2022. The direction came after Poonawala told the court that other prisoners had threatened to injure him and slash his face using improvised weapons.
Additional Sessions Judge Hargurvarinder Singh Jaggi issued the order while recording prosecution evidence in the murder trial. Poonawala, currently lodged in Jail No. 4A of Tihar, said he had faced threats from certain inmates for nearly 10 days and feared for his physical safety.
The court observed that protecting an undertrial prisoner is an essential part of the criminal justice process and falls within the accused’s right to a fair trial. It directed the Jail Superintendent to act immediately and said Poonawala could be shifted to a separate ward or cell away from inmates considered potentially dangerous if necessary.
The judge also asked the jail authorities to submit an action-taken report at the earliest. Copies of the order have been sent to prison officials and the investigating officer for compliance.
Poonawala named five inmates whom he alleged had threatened him. However, the court ordered that their identities be removed from the judicial record, citing confidentiality and the need to prevent further risk to the accused.
The development comes in a case that has drawn nationwide attention since Poonawala’s arrest in November 2022. Prosecutors allege that he strangled 27-year-old Shraddha Walkar at a rented flat in Mehrauli, dismembered her body and disposed of the remains across different parts of Delhi over several days.
Poonawala has been facing trial since 2023. The case was pursued by Shraddha’s father, Vikas Walkar, who died in 2025.
(With inputs from PTI and other media reports)