NEW DELHI: Hearing a plea by Delhi Police to stop a TV channel’s telecast of investigation records in the Shraddha Walkar murder case, a city court observed that spreading such sensitive information will result in ‘psychological repercussions on the accused and on the victim’s family.’
As per the charge sheet, accused Aaftab Amin Poonawala allegedly strangled Walkar, his live-in partner, on May 18 last year and sawed her body into several pieces which he stored in a refrigerator at his rented accommodation in south Delhi’s Mehrauli area.
Considering the Delhi Police’s application, the link court of Additional Sessions Judge Rakesh Kumar Singh restrained ‘Aaj Tak’ news channel from utilising any form of material related to the murder case till the next hearing on April 17. “The submission of the prosecutors is that recordings have already been made part of the court record. In such circumstances, no party or person can utilise anything which is related to a court record without the permission of the court,” it noted.
It added, “It is already a settled law that charge sheet is not a public document.”
“When Article 21 of the Constitution protects the life and liberty of a person, it also contemplates the protection of the psychological state of mind of such a person. Any dissemination of sensitive information pertaining to a murder case will definitely result in psychological repercussions for the accused and for the victim’s family,” the court observed.
The judge said it was brought to the court’s notice that the TV channel was contemplating the telecast of certain recordings or transcripts of the narco-analysis test and from the Practo app, which, as per the prosecution, would damage the case and impact the parties concerned.