A Delhi court has permitted the prosecution in the Shraddha Walkar murder case to record testimonies of four nodal officers from WhatsApp, Google, and Bumble via video conferencing. The court ruled that compelling their physical presence would lead to significant delays and excessive costs, thereby impacting the expeditious conduct of the trial.
Information was available with The Chenab Times that Additional Sessions Judge Hargurvarinder Singh Jaggi issued the order on October 9, following an application by the prosecution. The application sought authorization to examine the foreign-based witnesses under the Electronic Evidence and Video Conferencing Rules, 2025. The judge stated, “Having considered the application and given that the above-named witnesses reside abroad, securing their physical attendance before this court would entail undue delay and exorbitant expense. In the interest of an expeditious trial and justice, the application moved by the prosecution is allowed.”
The four individuals slated to provide testimony are Adrian Silvera, the nodal officer for WhatsApp LLC and Meta Platforms Inc; Shelby Smith and Arti Sheth, who serve as nodal officers for Google LLC and Gmail respectively; and Luke Mitsi, the nodal officer and law enforcement operations manager for Bumble Group. These witnesses are based in the United States and the United Kingdom.
The court acknowledged that these witnesses are required to submit evidence through affidavits. By allowing their testimony via video conferencing, the court anticipates a more streamlined and efficient trial process. The court has scheduled the recording of testimonies to commence on December 1, 2026, with one witness to be examined per day. A schedule will be coordinated between the prosecution, defense counsel, and remote location coordinators.
The designated remote locations for recording the testimonies will be the nearest Indian embassy, high commission, or consulate corresponding to the witnesses’ residential addresses abroad. All costs, administrative expenses, and overseas transmission charges associated with the video conferencing arrangements will be borne by the State. The court’s directive specifies that summons must clearly indicate the venue of the remote point, the date, time, and the requirement for identity verification. Parties involved have been reminded to account for time zone differences when planning the proceedings.
Furthermore, the court has mandated that the identities of the witnesses be verified using valid government-issued identification or passport documents prior to their examination. Safeguards are to be implemented to prevent any tutoring or prompting of the witnesses during their testimony. The video conferencing proceedings are to be conducted using Cisco Webex or another application approved by the court. All audio-visual recordings, including an encrypted master copy, will be preserved as part of the official judicial record.
In instances where the accused is in judicial custody and cannot be physically present in court, the court has ordered the establishment of a multi-point video conference. This setup will connect the courtroom, the remote witness location, and the jail where the accused is held. The accused will be afforded adequate opportunities for private consultation with their counsel before and after each session.
The case pertains to the alleged murder of Shraddha Walkar, a 27-year-old former call centre employee, in 2022. Her live-in partner, Aaftab Amin Poonawala, is accused of strangling her, dismembering her body into multiple pieces, storing the parts in a refrigerator, and subsequently disposing of them across various locations in Delhi over several days. Poonawala, who had rented a flat in Delhi’s Mehrauli area where the alleged crime occurred, was apprehended on November 12, 2022. The prosecution alleges that Poonawala dumped Walkar’s body parts in a forested area following the murder. The trial in this high-profile case has been ongoing since 2023. Vikas Walkar, Shraddha’s father, who had been pursuing the legal proceedings after her death, passed away in 2025.
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The Chenab Times News Desk
