Shortly after the Delhi Police on Monday named him as an accused in the charge-sheet filed over the death of his wife in January 2014, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has declared that he intends to contest the charges “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
The Delhi Police on Monday ruled the death of Sunanda Pushkar to be a suicide. The charge-sheet was filed at Delhi's Patiala House Court and under Sections 306 (abetment of suicide) and 498A (cruelty against married woman) of the IPC. The next hearing in the case is on May 24 when Tharoor is expected to be summoned.
Taking to Twitter, Tharoor said, “no one who knew Sunanda believes she would ever have committed suicide, let alone abetment on my part.”
Also read: THE WEEK archives—Exclusive interview with Shashi Tharoor
Tharoor also cast aspersions on motivations behind the charge-sheet, noting that in October 2017, police officials claimed in the Delhi High Court to have found no evidence against anyone.
Pushkar was found dead in her hotel room on January 17, 2014, under mysterious circumstances. BJP leaders, notably Subramanian Swamy, have extensively targeted Tharoor over the case. Swamy had filed PILs over the case.
In January 2015, an AIIMS toxicology report ruled that Pushkar had died from poisoning. Tharoor had previously promised all cooperation in the case and repeatedly proclaimed his innocence.