Sunanda Pushkar case: Order to frame charges against Tharoor deferred

A special court in Delhi designated for cases against MPs has again deferred its order on framing of charges against Congress MP Shashi Tharoor in connection with the death of his wife Sunanda Pushkar. This is the fifth time that the framing of charges against Tharoor has been deferred.

The prosecution said it wanted to bring on record and prima facie to rely on a recent judgment on the aspect of the case while framing the charges.

Special Judge Geetanjali Goel directed to keep the judgment on record and make available a copy of it to Tharoor’s counsel. The court, however, said that it would not entertain any more applications.

The order was deferred on April 29, May 19 and June 16 as judicial work was affected due to the pandemic. The court was asked for a week’s time to file a written application on behalf of the prosecution. After receiving the application, the hearing was again adjourned to July 2. The verdict in this case will now be pronounced on August 18.

Senior advocate Vikas Pahwa, representing Tharoor, sought discharge of his client in the case, saying the prosecution has not made any allegation of mental or physical torture against his client. Pahwa also argued that the police could not ascertain the cause of Sunanda Pushkar’s death even after spending four years on the investigation.

Sunanda was found dead in her hotel room on the evening of January 17, 2014. Initially, the Delhi Police investigated the murder and filed an FIR under Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code, but then it charged Tharoor under Sections 306 abetment to suicide) and 498A (cruelty by husband).

Special Public Prosecutor Atul Srivastava had argued that Sunanda had suffered injuries on her body before her death, and they were reflected in the postmortem report. 27 tablets of Alprax were found in his room, although it is not clear how many pills he had consumed.