SC notice on plea seeking probe into Sunanda Pushkar’s death

The Supreme Court directed the Delhi police to file a response on a plea filed by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy pertaining to the mysterious death of Sunanda Pushkar, wife of Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, on Friday. In the plea, Swamy has expressed doubts about the probe being conducted by the Delhi Police.

Last month, the BJP leader had approached the apex court challenging a High Court order which had earlier dismissed his plea seeking an independent probe into Pushkar's death. An apex court bench comprising Justices Arun Mishra and AM Khanwilkar which is currently hearing the petition has clarified that it would look into the "maintainability" of the plea filed by the BJP leader.

"Keeping the question of maintainability open, let a notice be issued," the bench said.

On October 26 last year the Delhi HC had dismissed a plea filed by Swamy who had sought an independent court-monitored Special Investigations Team (SIT) to look into the Sunanda Pushkar case. The court has said while dismissing Swamy's petition that it was not satisfied that it could be entertained as a PIL (Public Interest Litigation). It added that the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was a "textbook example of a political interest litigation dressed up as a PIL."

While alleging that the police had botched up the probe, Swamy had also accused Tharoor of "interfering" in the investigation when the Congress leader was in office. However, the HC had then chastised Swamy for making "sweeping allegations" against Tharoor and the Delhi Police without giving any basis for such accusations.

TIMELINE

• January 17, 2014: Sunanda Pushkar was found dead in the suite of a five-star hotel
   
• October 26, 2017: Delhi High Court dismisses plea by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy seeking a probe by a court-monitored SIT into Pushkar's death.
   
• January 2018: Swamy approached the apex court against the Delhi HC order.
   
• February 23, 2018: SC issues notice to Delhi Police following Swamy's plea