Shraddha Walkar: hearing on charges against Aftab on March 7

New Delhi: In the Shraddha Walkar murder case, a Delhi court on Friday posted the hearing on arguments on charges against the accused, Aftab Amin Poonawala, for March 7. Aftab has been accused of strangling his live-in partner Shraddha Walkar, chopping her body to pieces, storing them in a fridge and dumping them in a Delhi forest, PTI reported.

After the accused was physically brought before the court, Additional Sessions Judge Manisha Khurana Kakkar posted the case.

On February 21, a magisterial court burdened the murder case to the sessions court, where cases of heinous offences like this were tried. It was on February 7 the court had taken cognizance of the 6,629-page chargesheet filed by the police on January 24.

Shraddha Walkar was allegedly murdered by her live-in partner Aaftab Poonawala, who chopped her body into parts, stored them in a fridge and disposed of them over 18 days in woods next to where the couple lived for a few days in Delhi.

The couple used to have a chaotic relationship, and Shraddha used to face physical abuse. On the day of her murder, only four days after the couple moved to Delhi from Mumbai, they had an argument over infidelity and expenses, which led to the horrible crime, police said.

Meanwhile, right-wing political parties and leaders have used the case for their interests. Many claimed that Shraddha was a victim of "love Jihad" and suggested that Hindu girls must be cautious or could face a similar end to their life. Prominent among those who brought a communal narrative to the case was Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sharma, who said that Shraddha was a victim of "Love Jihad", and if people fail to elect Narendra Modi again to power at the Centre, more Aftabs will be born in every city, and the society will not be able to be secured.