The Patiala House Court have granted anticipatory bail to Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Thursday, granting him protection from arrest. He is scheduled to appear as an accussed for allegedly abetting the suicide of his wife, Sunanda Pushkar on 7 July.
As per the order, Shashi Tharoor will have to seek permission from the court before leaving the country, and in case of his arrest, bail bonds of Rs. 1 lakh will have to be furnished. The judge also ordered him not to tamper will the evidence.
The Thiruvananthapuram MP’s wife was found dead on the night of 17 January 2014 in a luxury hotel in New Delhi.
The Delhi Police filed a charge sheet in May this year, naming Tharoor as an accussed citing an email send by Sunanda Pushkar to her husband, expressing her wish to die.
On 5 June, Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal took cognizance of the 3000 page charge-sheet submitted by the SIT team, he said, ” There exists sufficient grounds to proceed against Tharoor for commission of offence in the case.” He summoned Tharoor to appear before him on July 7.
He concluded that there were sufficient grounds to proceed against Tharoor. Tharoor is charged with 498 A (husband or his relative subjecting a woman to cruelty) and 306 (abetment of suicide) of the Indian Penal Code.
Tharoor then moved a plea on Tuesday morning before Additional Special judge Arvind Kumar who granted him relief