Sunanda death case: Court summons Tharoor for trial
Evidence include domestic help’s statement, bruises on Sunanda’s body, message sent by Tharoor’s journo friend
NEWDELHI: A Delhi court on Tuesday took cognisance of the abetment to suicide charges against Congress leader Shashi Tharoor in the case of the death of entrepreneur Sunanda Pushkar, who was also Tharoor’s wife. Tharoor has been summoned to appear before the court on July 7.
Additional chief metropolitan magistrate Samal Vishal admitted the charges, saying there are “sufficient grounds to proceed” against Tharoor. “I have heard the prosecutor. I have gone through and perused the charge sheet and the documents filed along with it. On the basis of police report (charge sheet), I take cognisance of offence of abetment of suicide of late Sunanda Pushkar and committing cruelty upon her by Dr Shashi Tharoor,” he said.
On May 14, police filed a 3,000paged chargesheet against Tharoor, 62, under sections of abetment to suicide and cruelty. The two offences entail a jail term, which could extend to 10 years.
Pushkar was found dead in the suite of a south Delhi luxury hotel on January 14, 2014.
Pushkar and Tharoor got married in 2010. For both, it was the third marriage.
In their charge sheet, the special investigation team said Pushkar,51, overdosed on a combination of antidepressant tablets, which led to her death. Police claimed Pushkar and Tharoor’s relationship had been strained and cited Tharoor’s alleged extramarital affairs as one reason for Pushkar’s depression, which drove her to commit suicide.
The couple’s domestic help, Narayan Singh, has been made a key witness. Singh has reportedly claimed the couple had been fighting in the days leading up to Pushkar’s death. According to Singh’s statement, he was an eyewitness to one fight that turned violent.
NEW DELHI: Evidence such as the statement of Congress MP Shashi Tharoor’s domestic help, bruises on his wife Sunanda Pushkar’s body, messages sent to Tharoor by his journalist friend Mehr Tarar and an email sent by Pushkar to her husband expressing “no desire to live”, that established the Lok Sabha MP and his wife’s estranged relationship, led a city court on Tuesday to summon Tharoor on July 7 to face trial as an accused in the Pushkar death case.
Pushkar was found dead in suite number 345 of the Leela Hotel on January 17, 2014.
In a statement on Tuesday, Tharoor said, “I would like to point out that, from the very start, I have fully cooperated with the investigating team and will continue to maintain that due legal process must be followed in all aspects related to this case.”
“I would like to reiterate my position that I find the charges preposterous and baseless, the product of a malicious and vindictive campaign against myself. 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,” the statement read.
Earlier, the Delhi Police had
told the court that Pushkar (51) died because of poisoning and that 27 Alprax anti-depressant tablets were found in her suite but it was not clear how many pills she had consumed prior to her death. The court had then reserved its order for June 5, on whether to summon Tharoor as an accused in the case.
In a 3,000 page chargesheet, filed by the Delhi Police on May 14, Tharoor was charged with cruelty and abetment to suicide. The police also attached a statement of Tharoor’s help Narayan Singh, as an evidence of cruelty. He had claimed that he had witnessed the couple fighting, one of which was violent.