A Delhi Court has issued strict directions to the Tihar Jail Superintendent to implement immediate measures for the protection of Aaftab Amin Poonawala. The accused, who is facing trial for the murder of his live-in partner Shraddha Walkar, informed the judicial authorities that he faced persistent threats of physical harm and death from other inmates inside the prison facility.
Additional Sessions Judge Hargurvarinder Singh Jaggi, presiding at the Saket Courts, underscored that maintaining the safety of an undertrial prisoner constitutes a fundamental priority and a core tenet of the criminal justice administration. The court observed that the obligation of the State to safeguard undertrial prisoners is inextricably linked to the constitutional right of an accused person to receive a fair trial.
What legal standard did the court apply regarding undertrial safety ?
The court held that protecting undertrial prisoners is a paramount duty of the State and a vital component of a fair trial, directing prison authorities to isolate vulnerable inmates in separate cells and file immediate status reports on preventive security measures implemented.
During the proceedings, Poonawala sought direct audience with the bench to apprise the court of hostile developments within the prison premises. He submitted that he is currently confined within Jail Number Four A, which functions as a special security cell but simultaneously serves as the prison punishment ward.
According to the submissions made before the judicial officer, a group of inmates had continuously targeted Poonawala over a ten-day period. He alleged that these individuals explicitly stated intentions to take his life and inflict severe facial injuries using improvised weapons, thereby raising grave apprehensions regarding his physical well-being.
Judicial Directive | Executing Authority | Compliance Requirement |
|---|---|---|
Safety and Security Measures | Tihar Jail Superintendent | Ensure immediate protection, isolate from notorious inmates if necessary |
Action Taken Report | Jail Superintendent | File status report at the earliest |
Notice and Compliance | Station House Officer, Mehrauli | Receive transmitted copy of order for official records |
Responding to these serious allegations, the Additional Sessions Judge mandated that the jail administration must segregate Poonawala from notorious inmates and house him in a separate cell or ward if the security assessment so requires. Furthermore, the court instructed the concerned Jail Superintendent to compile and submit a comprehensive action taken report at the earliest opportunity.
The judicial directive also mandates that official copies of the order be transmitted promptly to both the Jail Superintendent and the Station House Officer of the Mehrauli Police Station to ensure compliance and administrative awareness. The criminal proceedings against the accused remain pending before the trial court at the crucial stage of recording prosecution evidence.
Poonawala faces prosecution for allegedly murdering Shraddha Walkar in 2022 and subsequently dismembering the body into numerous parts before scattering them across forested areas in the national capital. Formal charges were framed against the accused in May 2023 for offenses relating to murder and the destruction of evidence, whereupon he entered a plea of not guilty and elected to stand trial.