Delhi Court Permits Shashi Tharoor To Visit Kofi Annan’s Family In Geneva & Also Seek International Aid For Kerala

Congress Leader Shashi Tharoor was on Monday permitted by a Court in Delhi’s Patiala House Courts complex to travel to Geneva for expressing his condolences to the family of former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

Mr. Annan died at the age of 80 on Saturday. Mr. Tharoor had served as undersecretary-general of the UN when Mr. Annan was heading it. He is now scheduled to leave for Geneva on Monday evening and return the following day.

The permission was granted by Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Samar Vishal, who noted that Mr. Tharoor is on regular bail in the case accusing him of allegedly abetting the suicide of his wife, Sunanda Pushkar.

The ACMM accepted the submissions made by Senior Advocate Vikas Pahwa and Advocate Gaurav Gupta, appearing for Tharoor, also noting that Mr. Tharoor wishes to meet representatives of the United Nations and other International Humanitarian Organizations in order to seek aid and relief for flood-ravaged Kerala.

Ms. Pushkar was found dead in a suite in Leela Hotel in South Delhi on January, 17, 2014. The Delhi Police had then filed a charge-sheet in May this year, naming Mr. Tharoor as an accused. It had cited an email sent by Ms. Pushkar to her husband, expressing her wish to die.

Thereafter, on June 5, ACMM Samar Vishal had issued an order summoning Mr. Tharoor to appear before him on July 7. The ACMM had taken cognizance of the charge sheet and related documents submitted by the Special Investigation Team, and had concluded that there were sufficient grounds to proceed against him for abetment of suicide under Section 306 of IPC and committing cruelty under Section 498A of IPC.

“I have gone through and perused the charge sheet and documents filed along with it by the Special Investigation Team…On the basis of the police report, I take cognizance of offence of abetment of suicide punishable under Section 306 IPC of the late Ms Sunanda Pushkar and of committing cruelty upon her punishable under Section 498A IPC by Dr Shashi Tharoor…

…There exist sufficient grounds to proceed against Dr Shashi Tharoor for commission of offence under Sections 306 and 498A IPC. Issue summons to him for his appearance on July 7 at 10 AM,” the ACMM had ordered.

Mr. Tharoor was then granted anticipatory bail on July 5, with the Court noting that the police had never alleged that Mr. Tharoor had tried to flee from justice, while also noting that besides being an MP, Mr. Tharoor had also served as the Minister of State for External Affairs. He was granted regular bail on July 7 thereafter.