Sunanda Pushkar death case: Court asks Shashi Tharoor to appear on July 7

Tharoor has been charged with abetment to suicide and cruelty'

A court in Delhi on Tuesday asked Congress leader Shashi Tharoor to appear before it as an accused on July 7 in connection with his wife Sunanda Pushkar’s death.

The court took note of a chargesheet filed by Delhi Police and said there were sufficient grounds to proceed against him.

In its 3,000-page chargesheet, Delhi Police named Tharoor as the only accused in the case, alleging that he had subjected his wife to cruelty. Tharoor said the chargesheet was “preposterous” and “unbelievable”.

Pushkar was found dead in a south Delhi hotel on the night of January 17, 2014. The 51-year-old had not left behind a suicide note.

“I have heard the prosecutor. I have gone through and perused the chargesheet and the documents filed along with it. On the basis of police report (chargesheet), I take cognisance of offence of abetment of suicide of late Sunanda Pushkar and committing cruelty upon her by Dr Shashi Tharoor," Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal said.

On May 28, the court had reserved its order on whether to summon Tharoor as an accused.

According to prosecution sources, the chargesheet mentioned that Pushkar was allegedly subjected to mental as well as physical cruelty, news agency PTI reported.

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