Sunanda death case: Tharoor seeks protection from arrest

New Delhi, July 3: Former Union minister Shashi Tharoor has moved an anticipatory bail plea on Tuesday in Delhi's Patiala House Court in connection with the death of his wife Sunanda Pushkar. The plea was moved before the Patiala House court after the police had filed a chargesheet in the case accusing him of abetment.

Tharoor was earlier summoned as an accused by a magisterial court for the alleged offences of abetment of suicide and committing cruelty towards Pushkar. In his plea filed through advocate Vikas Pahwa, Tharoor said the charge sheet has been filed without arrest and the SIT (special investigation team) has categorically stated that investigation has been concluded and no custodial interrogation is required.

Speaking to media, Counsel of Shashi Tharoor said,''SIT categorically stated in charge sheet that probe is concluded & no custodial interrogation of any person is reqd. Law is very clear that if charge sheet is filed without arrest, bail is inevitable. Matter fixed for consideration at 10 am tomorrow.''

On June 5, a court had summoned Tharoor as accused, asking him to appear before it on July 7 and saying there were sufficient grounds to proceed against him. Pushkar was found dead in a luxury hotel room on the night of January 17, 2014.

As per the charge sheet filed by the Delhi Police, the Senior Congress leader has been charged with committing offences under sections 306 (abetment of suicide) and 498A (cruelty) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). If convicted under the former section, Tharoor is looking at up to ten years in prison.

According to the charge sheet, the Delhi Police is claiming that Sunanda was harassed and subjected to cruelty by Tharoor to the point of being driven to suicide. Section 498A makes it an offence for a husband or a husband's relative to subject a woman to cruelty, punishable by three years' imprisonment.