Greeva Garg –
Published on: August 18, 2021 16:10 IST
A Delhi Court has discharged Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, alleged for subjecting a woman to cruelty and abetment to suicide in connection with the death of his wife Sunanda Pushkar.
Special Judge Geetanjali Goel pronounced the order over a virtual hearing in the matter.
“The accused is discharged,” said the Court while asking them to file a bond under Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).
The Delhi Police filed the Chargesheet against Tharoor under Sections 498-A (husband or relative of husband of a woman subjecting her to cruelty), 306 (abetment of suicide) and alternatively for murder under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Tharoor was present through the virtual conferencing while the order was being pronounced.
“It had been seven and half years and it was a torture. I’m so grateful,” Tharoor stated while thanking the Court for discharging him of all offences.
Sunanda Pushkar was found dead at a hotel in New Delhi on January 17, 2014.
At the initial stage of the matter, FIR was registered by the Delhi Police on January 1, 2015, but back then Tharoor was not in the list of suspicion.
Later, the Delhi Police filed the Chargesheet against Tharoor under Sections 498-A (husband or relative of husband of a woman subjecting her to cruelty), 306 (abetment of suicide) and alternatively for murder under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in May 2018.
On August 31, 2019, the Delhi Police had asked a Delhi court to prosecute Tharoor for alternate murder charges in connection with Pushkar’s death.
Tharoor was on bail after the Court had reserved the orders in previous hearing of the matter on April 12.
Senior Advocate Vikas Pahwa, representing Tharoor argued that the prosecution failed to ascertain the cause of Sunanda Pushkar’s death even after the examination and medical reports by different boards comprising of different doctors.
“The doctors who conducted the preliminary post mortem report while suspecting that the case was of poisoning due to Alprazolam, went beyond their jurisdiction by taking cognizance of circumstantial evidences falling outside the autopsy room,” Pahwa submitted.
Pahwa concluded his submission by stating that the case was actually of suicide, and not murder.