New Delhi, August 18 (UNI): A Delhi court on Wednesday discharged Congress leader Shashi Tharoor in connection with the death case of his wife Sunanda Pushkar.
“The accused is discharged,” Special Judge Geetanjali Goel said while pronouncing the order in a virtual hearing in which Tharoor was present. He was asked to furnish a bond.
The court had reserved the order recently after the conclusion of arguments by the prosecution and the defence lawyers on the issue of framing charges in the case.
Senior Advocate Vikas Pahwa, appearing for Tharoor, informed the judge that he would furnish the bond either on Wednesday or the day after.
Pushkar was found dead in a suite of a luxury hotel in Delhi on the night of January 17, 2014.
Tharoor was booked under Section 498-A (husband or relative of husband of a woman subjecting her to cruelty) and 306 (abetment to suicide) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
In 2019, Delhi Police had asked the court to prosecute him for abetment to suicide or “alternatively” frame murder charges against him in connection with Pushkar’s death.
Expressing his gratitude to the court, 65-year-old Tharoor said he had a tough time in the last seven-and-a-half years.
In a statement, Tharoor said his family would finally mourn Pushkar in peace.
“This brings a significant conclusion to the long nightmare which had enveloped me after the tragic passing of my late wife Sunanda. I have weathered dozens of unfounded accusations and media vilification patiently, sustained my faith in the judiciary, which today stands vindicated,” he said.
Tharoor, who is a member of the Lok Sabha from Thiruvanthapuram, said in the current system of justice, the process was all too often the punishment.
“Nonetheless, the fact that justice has been done, at last, will allow all of us in the family to mourn Sunanda in peace,” he said.
