Police charges preposterous, will contest them: Tharoor

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, who has been summoned as an accused in his wifes suicide case by a Delhi court, on Tuesday termed the police charges against him as "preposterous and baseless" and said he will continue to vigorously contest these so that truth will prevail.

In a statement, Tharoor said he had taken notice of the developments in the case being heard by a judge of Patiala House court in relation to the circumstances surrounding the untimely demise of his wife Sunanda Pushkar Tharoor.

The former Union Minister said he has fully cooperated with the investigating team from the very start and continues to maintain that due legal process must be followed in all aspects related to this case.

"As I understand, the court has issued summons against my name and I have been asked to appear before the court on Saturday, July 7, 2018.

"I would like to reiterate my position that I find the charges preposterous and baseless, the product of a malicious and vindictive campaign against myself.

"I will continue to vigorously contest these charges and maintain my steadfast conviction that ultimately the truth will prevail through the judicial system that we are privileged to have in this country," he said.

Tharoor also urged the media to respect his and his family's right to privacy.

"In the meantime, I would like to request the media to respect my right to privacy as well as that of my family. Given that the matter is subjudice, I will refrain from commenting on the issue further until such time as the next scheduled hearing of the case," he said.

A Delhi court on Tuesday admitted abetment to suicide charges against Tharoor over the 2014 death of his wife, saying there was "sufficient grounds to proceed" against him.

Taking cognisance of the Delhi Police chargesheet, Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal asked Tharoor to appear before him on July 7.

On May 14, police chargesheeted Tharoor under sections 306 and 498A of the Indian Penal Code, pertaining to abetment to suicide and cruelty to wife, which entails a jail term that could extend up to 10 years.

Pushkar, 51, was found dead in a hotel suite here on January 17, 2014.

--IANS

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