Tharoor charged with abetment to suicide in Sunanda Pushkar death

Shashi Tharoor called the chargesheet "preposterous" and said he intends to contest it "vigorously". 

The Delhi Police on Monday accused Congress leader Shashi Tharoor of abetting the suicide of his wife Sunanda Pushkar and told a Delhi court that his custodial interrogation was necessary as investigation was yet to be concluded.

The police filed a nearly 3,000-page chargesheet in the court, naming Tharoor as the only person as accused in the case and claiming that there was enough evidence to proceed against him.

The police has also alleged that Tharoor had subjected his wife to cruelty.

Meanwhile, Tharoor has termed the chargesheet "preposterous" and said he intends to contest it "vigorously".

"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," he tweeted.

"It does not speak well of the methods or motivations of the Delhi Police. In oct 17, the Law Officer made a statement in the DelhiHighCourt that they have not found anything against anyone & now in 6 months they say that I have abetted a suicide. unbelievable!," Tharoor added.

The chargesheet in the mysterious death of Pushkar was filed before Metropolitan Magistrate Dharmendra Singh, who will consider it on May 24.

The agency also urged the court to summon Tharoor, the Lok Sabha MP from Thiruvananthapuram, as an accused.

The couple's domestic servant Narayan Singh is one of the key witnesses in the case.

Pushkar was found dead in a luxury hotel room on the night of January 17, 2014.

The Congress leader has been charged under sections 498 A (husband or his relative subjecting a woman to cruelty) and 306 (abetment of suicide) of the Indian Penal Code.

The chargesheet, which includes several annexures, said that Pushkar died within three years, three months and 15 days of her marriage with Tharoor.

The couple had entered the wedlock on August 22, 2010.

Pushkar was found dead in the suite of the South Delhi hotel on January 17, 2014. The suite was sealed that night itself for investigation.

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

According to a prosecution sources, the chargesheet has mentioned that Pushkar was allegedly subjected to mental as well as physical cruelty.

After all the possible and material evidence collected and verified, it was felt that his custodial interrogation would be required in the case, the charge sheet, which contains several medical reports, said.

Tharoor has not been arrested in the case so far as he had joined the investigation when required.

The Delhi high court had last year in October 26 dismissed Bharatiya Janata Party leader Subramanian Swamy's plea seeking a court-monitored special investigation team probe into the death of Pushkar, terming his PIL as a "textbook example of a political interest litigation".

Later, Swamy moved the Supreme Court challenging the high court order which asked the BJP leader to satisfy the court on the question of maintainability of his plea.

The SIT on April 20 had told the apex court that a draft final report has been prepared after conducting "thorough professional and scientific investigations" in the case relating to the death of Congress MP 's wife.

The Delhi Police, in its affidavit filed in the apex court, had said then that a draft final report has been sent to the prosecution department of the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi for "legal scrutiny" and it would be filed in the concerned trial court after being vetted.