Sunanda Pushkar Case: Delhi Court raps Police for not de-sealing hotel suite

The Patiala House Court on Tuesday directed the Joint Commissioner of Delhi Police to appear before the court for not complying with its order to de-seal a five-star hotel suite where Congress leader Shashi Tharoor's wife Sunanda Pushkar was found dead.

Metropolitan Magistrate Dharmender Singh told Delhi Police that the room should have been de-sealed by today, and consequently directed the Joint Commissioner of Delhi Police to appear before the court and explain the reason behind non-compliance of the order.

"Do you (police) want to initiate proceedings against yourself? I have already passed an order. You think of legal consequences. It can't go on like this," the judge snubbed the Delhi Police.

The court made the observation after the police filed a report stating that the results from the forensic laboratories were still awaited and some more time be given to it.

On September 21, Delhi High Court ordered Delhi Police to de-seal Hotel Leela's suite no. 345 and granted Delhi Police more time to file their final status report on the probe into the death of Sunanda Pushkar.

This is not the first time that Delhi Police has come under the fire of judiciary.

In the last hearing, the court had pulled up the Delhi Police for causing delay in the investigation and had granted them two weeks to complete their probe.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy, earlier this year, on July 6 had filed a PIL in the Delhi High Court seeking a court-monitored enquiry into the mysterious death of Pushkar.

He has now demanded to make the Enforcement Directorate (ED) a party in the case and the matter has also to be investigated under the PMLA.

Pushkar, wife of Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, was found dead at a suite in a five star hotel in South Delhi on the night of January 17, 2014.