Delhi sessions court to hear Sunanda Pushkar death case from today

NEW DELHI: A sessions court in Delhi will start hearing from Thursday in the Sunanda Pushkar death case, which allegedly involves her husband and Congress Member of Parliament Shashi Tharoor, from Thursday.

Tharoor will depose before the sessions court, said reports 

Pushkar was found dead in a suite of a luxury hotel in Delhi on January 17, 2014.

The Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court had earlier transferred the case to the Sessions Court. 

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal sent the case to Additional Sessions Judge Arun Bhardwaj since the offence under Section 306 (abetment of suicide) of the Indian Penal Code was triable by a sessions judge, news agency PTI had reported.

The court also directed the Delhi Police to preserve a vigilance report in the matter.

The court also dismissed a plea filed by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy seeking its permission to assist the court in the case. 

The court posted the matter for hearing on February 21.

The maximum punishment for the offence is 10 years of imprisonment.

It is to be noted that in its chargesheet, the Special Investigation Team (SIT), probing the case, had earlier ruled out a murder charge against Tharoor and instead alleged that constant mental torture of Pushkar by the Congress MP led her to commit suicide. 

Tharoor- a Congress MP from Kerala -  has been charged under sections 498A (husband or his relative subjecting a woman to cruelty) and 306 (abetment of suicide) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), but has not been arrested in the case. 

He was granted regular bail on July 7 last year after he appeared before the court in pursuance to the summons issued against him. He was summoned by the court had on June 5 after it observed that there was sufficient evidence to proceed against him.

Sunanda was found dead in a suite of a luxury hotel in Delhi on January 17, 2014.

The couple was staying in the hotel as the official bungalow of Tharoor was being renovated at that time.

The court had directed the Delhi Police to hand over various documents filed along with the charge sheet, including statements of witnesses, to Tharoor on a plea moved by him.

As per the court orders, the Delhi Police had in September handed over copies of all the evidence, including electronic and documentary proof, to Tharoor. The documents included statements of various witnesses recorded in the case.

(With Agency inputs)