Sunanda Pushkar death case: Shashi Tharoor charged with abetment of suicide

Delhi Police on Monday filed a chargesheet in a local court that termed the death of Sunanda Pushkar as a suicide and charged her husband and Congress leader Shashi Tharoor with abetment, drawing a sharp response from the Lok Sabha MP, who said the move was “unbelievable.”

Police also told the court in Delhi that Thaoor’s custodial interrogation was necessary since investigations had not yet concluded. Pushkar was found dead in a south Delhi luxury hotel room four years ago.

In a 3000-page chargesheet filed before metropolitan magistrate Dharmendra Singh, police named Tharoor as the only accused in the case. He was charged under sections 498 A (husband or his relative subjecting a woman to cruelty) and 306 (abetment of suicide) of the Indian Penal Code.

Police alleged that Tharoor, who is the parliamentarian from Thiruvananthapuram, subjected his wife to cruelty.

On Twitter, , which the court will consider on May 24, “preposterous”, stressing that he will contest it “vigorously”.

1/2 I have taken note of the filing of this preposterous charge sheet &intend to contest it vigorously. No one who knew Sunanda believes she would ever have committed suicide, let alone abetment on my part. If this is conclusion arrived at after 4+ yrs of investigation, (contd.)

— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) May 14, 2018

2/2) it does not speak well of the methods or motivations of the Delhi Police. In oct 17, the Law Officer made a statement in the DelhiHighCourt that they have not found anything against anyone & now in 6 months they say that I have abetted a suicide. unbelievable!

— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) May 14, 2018

A Delhi : “On the basis of medico-legal and forensic evidence analysed during investigation as well as opinion of psychological autopsy experts, the chargesheet was filed. The matter is sub-judice.”

Psychological autopsy is a reconstructive mental state evaluation to understand an individual’s mental state at and around the time of death for the purpose of identifying the cause of death, according to news agency PTI.

Pushkar was found dead in suite 345 of Hotel Leela Palace on January 17, 2014. The suite was sealed the same night for investigation.

The couple’s domestic servant, Narayan Singh, is one of the key witnesses in the case.

The chargesheet, which includes several annexures, said Pushkar died within three years, three months and 15 days of her marriage with Tharoor. The couple tied the knot on August 22, 2010.

An FIR was registered by Delhi Police on January 1, 2015, against unknown persons under IPC section 302 (murder).

The Delhi high court dismissed last October BJP leader Subramanian Swamy’s plea seeking a court-monitored probe by a special investigation team (SIT).

Later, Swamy moved the Supreme Court, challenging the HC order, which asked the BJP leader to satisfy the court on the question of maintainability of his plea.

A SIT on April 20 had told the apex court that a draft final report had been prepared after conducting “thorough professional and scientific investigations”.

Delhi Police, in its affidavit filed in the top court, said then that a draft final report had been sent to the prosecution department of the government of Delhi for “legal scrutiny” and it would be filed in the trial court concerned after being vetted.

Congress leaders in Kerala called the charges against “politically motivated” and harassment. “It is only the fascists who act in this manner to take on their political rivals... The move is only to cut short the political career of the MP, who represents Thiruvananthapuram in the Lok Sabha,” M M Hassan, president of Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee, was quoted by PTI as saying.