INDIAN National Congress parliamentarian Shashi Tharoor was on Wednesday (18) cleared by a court in Delhi of charges linked to the death of his wife Sunanda Pushkar in 2014.
The body of Pushkar, 51, was found in a suite of a luxury hotel in the Indian capital on the night of January 17. She had moved into the hotel as her husband’s home was being renovated. Tharoor, who represents Thiruvananthapuram in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Indian parliament, was then India’s minister of state for human resource development under the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government.
Tharoor, a former diplomat at the United Nations, was charged with abatement to suicide and cruelty by the Delhi Police.
Shashi Tharoor with his late wife Sunanda Pushkar. (Photo by Graham Crouch/Getty Images)
On Wednesday, the court refused to frame charges against Tharoor, 65, and cleared the member of parliament (MP) of all charges.
“Most grateful, your honour. It’s been seven-and-half years of absolute torture. I really appreciate it,” Tharoor, who had faced backlash from the media in the wake of Pushkar’s death, said.
In a longer statement later, Tharoor wrote that his family would finally mourn Pushkar in peace.
“This brings a significant conclusion to the long nightmare which had enveloped me after the tragic passing of my late wife Sunanda. I have weathered dozens of unfounded accusations and media vilification patiently, sustained my faith in the judiciary, which today stands vindicated,” the politician wrote.
Seeking discharge, he told the court that evidence showed Pushkar’s death was not caused by suicide or homicide. Pushkar was Tharoor’s third wife who he married in 2010.
According to Tharoor, the death of his wife should be considered an accident. He had said that his late wife had various medical conditions at the time of her death.
“Not even a single witness” had made any allegations of dowry, harassment or cruelty against Mr Tharoor, his lawyer Vikas Pahwa had argued. He also said that a special investigation team had exonerated Tharoor.
The prosecution failed to conclusively establish the cause of Pushkar’s death after years of police investigation, the court was told.
The police had first claimed that Pushkar was poisoned and later, they registered a murder case without naming any suspect.
Pushkar’s death caused a sensation in political circles, particularly after some of her last tweets hinted at a rift between her and Tharoor and appeared to accuse him of an affair with a journalist from Pakistan.
Clifford had previously pleaded guilty to the murders of BBC sports commentator John Hunt’s wife and two daughters at their home in northwest of London, in July 2024. (Photo: Hertfordshire Police /Handout via REUTERS)
Crossbow murderer found guilty of raping ex-girlfriend
A 26-YEAR-OLD man who murdered three women in a crossbow and stabbing attack has been found guilty of raping one of them, his ex-girlfriend, a British court ruled on Thursday.
Kyle Clifford had previously pleaded guilty to the murders of BBC sports commentator John Hunt’s wife and two daughters at their home in Bushey, northwest of London, in July 2024.
The attack led to a manhunt before Clifford was found injured hours later in a north London cemetery.
A jury at Cambridge Crown Court on Thursday convicted Clifford of raping 25-year-old Louise Hunt before killing her.
His sentencing for all the crimes is scheduled for Tuesday.
Clifford had admitted to murdering Carol Hunt, 61, and her daughters Louise and Hannah, 28. He had also pleaded guilty to charges of false imprisonment and possessing offensive weapons but denied raping Louise.
During the trial, the court heard that after killing Carol Hunt, Clifford waited for an hour before attacking Louise, tying her up, raping her, and then killing her with a crossbow. He later killed Hannah when she returned home from work.
The prosecution described Clifford, a former soldier, as committing a "violent, sexual act of spite" and said he was "enraged" after Louise ended their 18-month relationship. They told the court that he had "carefully planned" the attack.
Less than 24 hours before the killings, Clifford had searched for a podcast by social media influencer Andrew Tate, according to the prosecution. They argued that the murders were driven by the "violent misogyny promoted" by Tate.
Justice Joel Bennathan called Clifford’s crimes "dreadful" and "almost unspeakable".
(With inputs from AFP)