Sunanda Pushkar death case: Unseal Leela Hotel room where Shashi Tharoor's wife was found dead, Delhi court tells police

New Delhi: A court on Friday ordered the Delhi Police to de-seal the room in Hotel Leela Palace where former Union minister Shashi Tharoor's wife Sunanda Pushkar was found dead in January 2014.

Metropolitan Magistrate Pankaj Sharma passed the order on the plea by the hotel to de-seal suite number 345.

"As per the status report filed by the investigating agency (Delhi Police), they have not been able to reach a definitive conclusion regarding the cause of death of the victim and for this reason, Leela Hotel can not be made to suffer continuously," the Metropolitan Magistrate said.

Directing the room be de-sealed within four weeks and asking the Investigating Officer in the case to file a compliance report by August 19, the court observed that police has not given any reasonable ground to continue sealing of the room.

It permitted hotel team to take out the articles lying in the room with due care for the purpose of investigation and arrange a place for their safe custody.

The hotel was also asked to hand over the articles required by the investigating agency.

The court also noted that no investigating team had visited the room for investigation for the past one year and said that it is evident that the room is not required for further investigation.

"The hotel cannot be part of to unending hardship and loss due to the lethargy on the part of investigating team."

"In the name of investigation the suite of Hotel Leela cannot be locked further," the court said.

However, the court granted liberty to Delhi Police to file an application seeking more time for probe if they cannot conclude the investigation within the given time and allow them to visit the room before filing the compliance report.

On July 14, the hotel had filed a plea before the Patiala House court to de-seal the room that had remained locked since January 17, 2014.

"As the room is locked for three years, termites, bugs and other pests have spoiled the whole room and even the adjoining areas," the hotel official had told the court.

The official had further told the court that they would allow detectives to take things from the room whatever they want as evidence required in the case.

The hotel had claimed that due to the sealing of the suite, which costs between Rs 55,000 and Rs 61,000 a night, it has suffered a loss of over Rs 50 lakh in the last three years.

It had further said that a number of times, police and forensic teams had visited the suite and it was no longer required to be kept sealed. 

"The hotel continues to suffer the loss with each passing day. The continuous sealing of the suite is also affecting the use of other rooms/suites on the same floor," the hotel has said.

Sunanda Pushkar, 52, was found dead under mysterious circumstances in Delhi's Hotel Leela Palace on January 17, 2014. The suite was sealed henceforth.

A FIR was registered by Delhi Police on January 1, 2015, against unknown persons under Section 302 (murder).

(With Agency inputs)