Highlights:
- According to the Delhi Police, the main culprit in the case is Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, the husband of Sunanda Pushkar.
- Shashi Tharoor praised the judge and described the last seven and a half years as “absolute torture.”
- During the last hearing, police urged that numerous charges, including 306 (abetment of suicide), be filed against the Congress leader.
A Delhi court today discharged Senior Congress Leader and an MP from Thiruvananthapuram, Shashi Tharoor of charges stemming from his wife Sunanda Pushkar’s death in 2014.
On the night of January 17, 2014, Sunanda Pushkar, 51, was discovered dead in a posh hotel suite in Delhi. Because the MP’s house was being refurbished, she had temporarily shifted into a hotel.
The Delhi Police charged Congress MP of Thiruvananthapuram Shashi Tharoor with abetment to suicide and cruelty.
The court today declined to frame charges against Mr Tharoor, 65, and acquitted him of all charges.
“Most grateful, your honour. It’s been seven-and-half years of absolute torture. I really appreciate it,” Mr. Tharoor stated.
Delhi Court discharges Congress leader Shashi Tharoor in connection with Sunanda Pushkar death case. pic.twitter.com/LKdfquticy
— ANI (@ANI) August 18, 2021
The Congress leader had requested his discharge, stating the court that evidence indicated Sunanda Pushkar’s death was not a suicide or homicide.
He stated that Ms Pushkar’s death should be deemed an accident because she was suffering from a variety of medical issues at the time of her death.
The Congress MP’s lawyer, Vikas Pahwa, said that “not a single witness” had made any claims of harassment, dowry, or cruelty against him.
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The lawyer further stated that the politician had been exonerated by a Special Investigations team.
The prosecution had failed to prove the reason of Ms Pushkar’s death after years of police inquiry, the court was informed.
Shashi Tharoor and Sunanda Pushkar tied the knot in 2014. Her death sparked outrage and speculations in political circles, particularly because some of her last tweets hinted at a dispute between the two and appeared to accuse the MP of having an affair with a Pakistani journalist.
The police first stated that Sunanda Pushkar had been poisoned. They registered a murder case a year later without identifying any suspects.
Mr Tharoor, who has been repeatedly targeted by political opponents over the issue, has termed the accusations “preposterous and baseless,” the result of a “malicious and vengeful campaign.”
