High court defers kin’s plea to March 26

New Delhi: Delhi High Court on Monday deferred to March 26 the hearing of a petition related to the alleged murder of city resident Harshita Brella in London. The matter was scheduled before the single-judge bench of Justice Sachin Dutta, said advocate Rushabh Aggarwal, counsel for the petitioner.In Feb this year, Brella's sister Sonia Daba had filed a petition in HC stating concerns that MEA was not adequately following up with UK authorities to expedite the investigation. During the hearing, HC directed the ministry to appoint a nodal officer in the matter to liaise with her and the investigating agencies in the UK, ensuring a smooth exchange of information and updates related to the case.Brella's body was found in the boot of a silver Vauxhall Corsa in Ilford on Nov 14 last year, following which an investigation was launched. The news reached her father in India through the local police, which conveyed a message from Interpol UK via Interpol India. An international manhunt was launched to nab her husband, the prime suspect.Last week, Delhi Police arrested the parents of Brella's husband, Pankaj Lamba. A case under sections 498A (husband or relative of husband of a woman subjecting her to cruelty) and 406 (criminal breach of trust) had been registered against them at Palam Village police station on Dec 3 last year. The couple is currently in judicial custody. Their case will come up for hearing in Dwarka court on Wednesday.Lamba is yet to be found. Delhi Police had earlier released a lookout notice for him to prevent him from leaving India.Brella and Lamba had married in court in Aug 2023, followed by a wedding in March 2024. She moved to the UK at the end of April 2024 to join Lamba, who was on a student visa and lived in a rented room in Corby.