In a relief to Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor, Delhi's Patiala High Court granted him anticipatory bail on Thursday in the Sunanda Pushkar death case.
Reports state that the bail has been granted on a surety of Rs 1 lakh and on the condition that Tharoor cannot leave India without the permission of the court.
Tharoor on Tuesday had filed for anticipatory bail in Delhi’s Patiala House Court. The Delhi police had filed a chargesheet against him in May this year under Sections 306 (abetment of suicide) and 498A (cruelty) of the Indian Penal Code.
Sunanda Pushkar was found dead in a hotel room on the night of January 14, 2014, in New Delhi.
On May 14, 2018, in response to the Delhi Police’s claims that there was enough evidence against the senior Congress leader in the case, he was summoned by a Delhi Court.
Tharoor had refuted the allegations, calling them ‘baseless’, and had stated to the media that he “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 our country.”
The police chargesheet claims that Sunanda was harassed by Tharoor and was driven to suicide. Under section 498A, if found guilty, Tharoor can face 3 years imprisonment, while a sentence of up to 10 years can be given under section 306.