Sunanda Pushkar death case: Shashi Tharoor moves anticipatory bail plea in Delhi court

Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday moved an anticipatory bail plea in Delhi's Patiala House Court in the case related to his wife Sunanda Pushkar's death, reported ANI.

Tharoor has been summoned by a Delhi Court as an accused in the case.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal had taken cognisance of Tharoor's alleged offences of abetment of suicide and committing cruelty towards Pushkar, and asked him to appear before it on July 7, saying there were sufficient grounds to proceed against him. 

Earlier, the Congress leader had promised to co-operate and said that charges against him were preposterous and baseless. "I will continue to vigorously contest these charges and maintain my steadfast conviction that ultimately the truth will prevail through the judicial system that we are privileged to have in our country," Tharoor said.

"I have taken notice of the developments in the case being heard by the Hon'ble Judge of the Patiala House Court in relation to the circumstances surrounding the untimely demise of my late wife, Mrs. Sunanda Pushkax Tharoor. As I understand, the court has issued summons against my name and I have been asked to appear before the court on Saturday, 7th July 2018. I would like to point out that, from the very start, I have fully cooperated with the investigating team and continue to maintain that due legal process must be followed in all aspects related to this case," Tharror had said in a statement.

The Delhi Police had on May 14 accused the Lok Sabha MP from Thiruvananthapuram of abetting Pushkar's suicide and told a city court that he should be summoned as an accused in the four-and-half year-old case, claiming there was sufficient evidence against him.

In a nearly 3,000-page charge sheet, the police named Tharoor as the only accused while also alleging that he had subjected his wife to cruelty. It had also urged the court to summon Tharoor as an accused.

The couple's domestic servant, Narayan Singh, has been named one of the key witnesses in the case.

Pushkar was found dead in a luxury hotel room on the night of January 17, 2014.

Tharoor has been charged under Sections 498 A (husband or his relative subjecting a woman to cruelty) and 306 (abetment of suicide) of the Indian Penal Code.

Under Section 498A, the maximum punishment is up to three years of imprisonment, while jail term up to 10 years is prescribed under Section 306.

An FIR was registered by Delhi Police on January 1, 2015 against unknown persons under IPC section 302 (murder).

According to prosecution sources, the charge sheet mentions that Pushkar was allegedly subjected to mental as well as physical cruelty. Tharoor has not been arrested in the case.

(With agency inputs)