A Delhi court on Thursday granted anticipatory bail to Congress leader and Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor in the death case of his wife Sunanda Pushkar who was found dead in a room in Leela Palace Hotel, New Delhi, in January 2014.
He had been summoned on July 7 as an accused in the case.
Special Judge Arvind Kumar granted Tharoor the relief on a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh.
He has also been directed not to tamper with evidence or leave the country without the court’s prior permission.
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In his plea for anticipatory bail, Tharoor had submitted that the chargesheet in the case had categorically said the probe was concluded, and that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) had said his custodial interrogation was not required.
The court had summoned him as an accused in the case on June 5, asking him to appear before it on July 7 observing that there were sufficient grounds to proceed against him.
Tharoor has been charged with ‘abetment to suicide’ under Sections 306 (abetment to suicide) and 498 A (cruelty in a marriage). Tharoor’s name appears in ‘Column 2’ of the chargesheet, which makes him the most likely suspect.
The cause of Sunanda Pushkar’s death was reported to be poisoning. A total of 27 tablets of Alprax were found in her room but it was not clear how many she had consumed.
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The police had sealed the suite where Sunanda was found dead and took the hotel management nearly three years to get it de-sealed through court.
Tharoor was questioned a number of times during the course of investigations.
(With agency inputs)