Aaftab Poonawala's lawyer has said that his client has not yet confessed in court to murdering his partner Shraddha Walkar, adding that the case against Aaftab so far rests mostly on circumstantial evidence.
"He is cooperating with the Delhi Police but he has not confessed in court. He has not confessed that he murdered Shraddha," Aaftab's court-appointed lawyer, Avinash Kumar, told NDTV.
'He is not worried, he wants to tell the police everything'
Aaftab "wants to tell everything to Delhi Police", added Mr Kumar. He said that his client was "not completely denying" the crime and that "he gave his consent to a Narco test as he wants to cooperate with the police."
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When asked about his interactions with Poonawala, Kumar said "I thought his body language was very comfortable. He was looking like any normal person...his mind and physical condition were very stable. He was talking very politely. He is not worried...he knows of the consequences of the case but he has faith in the legal process." He added that so far he has only spoken to his client for 10 minutes, wherein they did not talk about Shraddha, NDTV reported.
'No substantial evidence against Aaftab'
On preparing Aaftab's defence, Kumar said he was waiting for a copy of the police chargesheet. "My next strategy will be based on that. So far, everything is circumstantial evidence. There is no substantial evidence."
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On Tuesday, reports suggested that Poonawala admitted before a court in Delhi that he murdered his live-in partner Shraddha in the "heat of the moment" following an argument. "What happened that happened in heat of the moment," Aaftab was quoted. Subsequently, the court has extended his custody for four more days.
The lawyer also brushed off the possibility of facing any anger for defending a man accused of an unspeakable crime. "It is his constitutional right to be defended and it is my duty to defend him. So far, I am not worried," Kumar asserted.
Delhi police arrested Aaftab on November 14 and claimed that he has confessed to the gruesome murder. A confession to the police however is not admissible in court.
Shraddha Walkar murder case
Aaftab Poonawala killed his live-in partner Shraddha on the evening of May 18 by strangling her and later chopped her body into 35 pieces. He stored the parts in a 300-liter-fridge for over 20 days after going around the national capital disposing off bits and pieces of her corpse.
