Shraddha Walkar murder case: Aftab Poonawalla disagrees with lawyer, does not want bail plea to be filed

NEW DELHI: High drama was witnessed in a Delhi court today after the Delhi fridge murder accused Aftab Amin Poonawalla, accused of murdering his live-in girlfriend Shraddha Walkar told the court he had not authorized his lawyer to file a bail plea on his behalf.

A bail application was filed on behalf of the accused Aftab Amin Poonawala on Friday in Delhi’s Saket Court, which came up for hearing today.

Aftab is currently in judicial custody and lodged at the Tihar jail in a special cell. He filed the bail plea saying that keeping him in jail will hamper and destroy his career and future.

However, later through an email the court was informed that the bail application was moved ‘erroneously’ and the lawyer was not authorised to do so.

On instructions of the court, Aftab was produced before via video conferencing and asked about the misunderstanding.

Additional Sessions Judge Vrinda Kumari said the court received an intimation from Poonawala through email that the bail application was moved by mistake and that his lawyer had not cross-checked with him.

The lawyer when asked said his client had signed the vakalatnama – which is a document authorising a lawyer to represent a client in court and he was going ahead with the bail plea.

However, the court said it would like to speak to the accused Aftab and asked him via video conferencing whether the bail plea should be kept pending.

Poonawala told the court: “I would like that the counsel talks to me and then withdraw the bail plea, after discussing with me.”

The matter was then listed by the court for December 22.