Shashi Tharoor Discharged In Wife Sunanda Pushkar’s Death Case

Mumbai: A Delhi court on Wednesday discharged Congress leader Shashi Tharoor in a case related to his wife Sunanda Pushkar’s death. Tharoor thanked the court for discharging him and said, “It’s been seven-and-half years of absolute torture. I’m so grateful.”

Tharoor, former union minister, who is currently on bail in the case, was charge-sheeted by Delhi Police under Sections 498-A (husband or relative of husband of a woman subjecting her to cruelty) and 306 (abetment of suicide) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Tharoor’s wife Pushkar was found dead in the suite of a luxury hotel in the city on the night of January 17, 2014, following which the police had accused Tharoor of abetment to suicide. Congress MPs were present in the court at the time of pronouncement of the verdict. Thanking the court, Tharoor said, “It’s been seven and a half years and it was torture”

This order was pronounced by Special Judge Gitanjali Goel. The last hearing, in this case, was held on April 12 when the court had reserved the order.

An FIR was registered against Shashi Tharoor in 2015 over the death of Sunanda Pushkar. He was also charged with abetment to suicide and marital cruelty.

Senior advocate Vikas Pahwa, representing Tharoor, argued that the prosecution failed to ascertain the cause of Sunanda Pushkar’s death between 2014 and 2017. It was also submitted that the doctors who conducted the preliminary post mortem report went beyond their jurisdiction by relying on circumstantial evidence.

“If you cannot establish suicide, then there can be no sec. 306 case. First, you have to establish there has been a suicide. From 2014 to 2017, it has been 4 years. They have given their opinion, it’s neither suicide nor homicide. Again a null in the investigation. Even when the report said there was no suicide, they registered a case under Section 302. They don’t say it’s suicide. Suicide cannot be without intent. I am not talking abetment at the moment. I am talking about suicide for suicide, there has to be intent,” he submitted.

A day before Sunanda Pushkar’s death, she had an altercation with Pakistani journalist Mehr Tarat on Twitter over Tharoor’s alleged affair with Meher.

Reports said that doctors revealed that Pushkar had multiple bruises on his hands, leading the sub-divisional mafia to conclude that it was a case of poisoning.

There were reports of doctors claiming to be under pressure to alter the autopsy report. In 2015, the Delhi Police concluded that Pushkar was murdered. In 2018, the charge sheet was filed.

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