Shashi Tharoor granted bail in Sunanda Pushkar death case, asked not to leave India

New Delhi: Delhi's Patiala House Court on Thursday granted anticipatory bail to senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor in connection with the mysterious death case of his wife Sunanda Pushkar. The Congress leader will have to furnish a bail bond of Rs 1 lakh.

The court further said that Tharoor cannot travel abroad without prior permission of the court and cannot tamper with the evidence and witness.

On Wednesday the Delhi court had reserved its bail order. The development comes two days after Tharoor sought anticipatory bail.

The Thiruvananthapuram MP has already been summoned as an accused in the case, prompting him to term the charges as 'preposterous and baseless.' He had been given time till July 7.

The senior Congress leader has, however, maintained that he is innocent of charges levelled against him but the Delhi court found 'sufficient grounds' to proceed against him. 

On May 14, 2018, Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal took cognisance of the offences of alleged abetment of suicide and committing cruelty by Tharoor towards Pushkar.

The police had filed a 3000-page chargesheet before Metropolitan Magistrate Dharmender Singh under sections 498 A (husband or his relative subjecting a woman to cruelty) and 306 (abetment of suicide) of the Indian Penal Code.

In the chargesheet, the police had named Tharoor as the only accused, while also alleging that he had subjected his wife to cruelty. 

The couple's domestic servant, Narayan Singh, was named one of the key witnesses in the case. Sunanda Pushkar was found dead in a luxury hotel room on the night of January 17, 2014.

(With inputs from agencies)