Sunanda case: Cops told to de-seal suite in 6 days

city court on Tuesday gave the police six days to comply with its earlier order to de-seal a room at a five-star hotel where Sunanda Pushkar, wife of Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, was found dead in 2014.

The court’s direction came after the police wanted the room to be kept locked for some more time, stating they were awaiting a forensic report on samples collected from the spot.

Metropolitan Magistrate Dharmender Singh granted time till October 16.

The court had ordered de-sealing of the suite twice in the past this year. The suite continues to be locked since January 17, 2014.

The court is hearing a plea by the hotel’s management seeking de-sealing of the suite where Pushkar had died in mysterious circumstances.

The hotel said it had suffered a loss of over ₹50 lakh in the last three years. The suite costs between ₹55,000 and ₹61,000 a night. It said the locked suite had also been infested by bugs and insects.

The court had on July 21 ordered de-sealing of the suite within four weeks, saying the hotel cannot be put to unending hardship due to laxity on part of the police.

The police had at that time sought more time to complete the probe. On September 12, the police was again directed to de-seal the suite. The court had on September 4 taken the police to task for its “lethargic attitude” in its probe into the case.

Pushkar was found dead in the suite of the South Delhi hotel on the night of January 17, 2014. The suite was sealed on that night itself for investigation.

Pushkar’s death has been the cause of immense controversy, and the Delhi Police have come under criticism for the manner in which they handled the case.

THE COURT GAVE COPS TIME TILL OCTOBER 16 TO DESEAL THE SUITE IN WHICH PUSHKAR DIED