Cong leader was charged by police with cruelty and abetment to suicide
More than seven years after Sunanda Pushkar was found dead in a luxury hotel here, a Delhi court on Wednesday discharged her husband and Congress leader Shashi Tharoor of all charges in the case. Tharoor, who was present when Special Judge Geetanjali Goel pronounced the order in a virtual hearing, thanked the judge and said it had been “absolute torture for last seven-and-a-half years”.
Pushkar was found dead in Hotel Leela on the night of January 17, 2014. The couple had a serious spat that time. The Delhi Police after a year in January 2015 registered an FIR for murder charges without naming anyone. Later in 2018, chargesheet was filed under IPC sections related to cruelty and abetment to suicide. During arguments in November 2019, the Delhi Police argued for adding up murder charges.
“This brings a significant conclusion to the long nightmare which had enveloped me after the tragic passing of my late wife Sunanda,” said Tharoor.
The 65-year-old Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram added, “I have weathered dozens of unfounded accusations and media vilification patiently, sustained by my faith in the Indian judiciary, which today stands vindicated.”
“Nonetheless, the fact that justice has been done, at last, will allow all of us in the family to mourn Sunanda in peace,” Tharoor said.
The detailed order in the high-profile case is awaited.
While the police had sought the framing of various charges against Tharoor during the course of the arguments, his lawyer had told the court that the investigation conducted by the SIT had completely exonerated his client of all the charges against him. Senior advocate Vikas Pahwa said there was no evidence to prove the offence against Tharoor.
After the order was pronounced, Pahwa told reporters that the charges leveled by the police for abetment to suicide and cruelty were absurd and preposterous. Even the most essential ingredients of the offences were not present in this case, he said.
“All the reports of various medical boards, including psychological autopsy reports, exonerated Tharoor from the charges of homicide or suicide,” he said, adding that the charge sheet was filed without any basis.
The Congress strongly backed its leader after the court discharged him. Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said, “The truth always wins. The constant abuse, innuendos and slander of our colleague Shashi Tharoor by BJP and its crony TV anchors come to naught.”
“Will the PM now apologise for his intemperate remarks? Will the same TV anchors do a debate and apologise today?” he asked on Twitter. Tharoor’s party colleague Jairam Ramesh also spoke out in his support. “For seven years my friend and colleague Shashi Tharoor was harassed and subjected to vilification, abuse and mental torture.”
“Today, he stands vindicated and the MoSha duo along with their hatchet men stand totally exposed. Jai Ho for the judiciary. All is not lost yet,” he said in a tweet