Hearing in Sunanda Pushkar death case deferred till May 19

The hearing of the death case of Sunanda Pushkar, wife of Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, has been deferred by a Delhi court till May 19. Tharoor had told the court that there was no evidence against him to prove the offense.

New Delhi:Rouse avenue court in Delhi on Thursday deferred the hearing of death case of Sunanda Pushkar, wife of senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, till May 19.

Pushkar was found dead under mysterious circumstances in a suite of a Delhi hotel on the night of January 17, 2014. The couple was staying in the hotel as their house was undergoing renovation.

On April 12, special judge Gitanjali Arora had pronounced her order after hearing arguments of both sides.

Last year in March, Tharoor said that there was no evidence to establish the fact that his wife committed suicide and it would be against the law if charges are framed against him.

READ: Sunanda Pushkar case: Court reserves order on Shashi Tharoor’s plea

Politician's lawyer Vikas Pahwa sought bail for his client and told the court that Tharoor did not exploit his wife in any manner.

Pahwa said, "Relatives of the deceased said that Pushkar cannot commit suicide and did not accuse Tharoor of any charges."

However, the prosecution told the court that Tharoor had extra-marital affairs.

Tharoor was charged under Sections 306 (abetment of suicide) and 498A (husband or his relative subjecting a woman to cruelty) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). He, however, dismissed the charge sheet terming it "preposterous".

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Delhi Police in its charge sheet named Tharoor as the prime accused in the death case of Sunanda Pushkar. The charge sheet mentioned that the couple tied the knot in August 2020 and Pushkar died after three years.

It was in January 2015 that police registered an FIR against an unknown person under section 302 of IPC.

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With agency inputs