Subramanian Swamy Moves Delhi HC For Time-Bound SIT Probe Into Sunanda Pushkar Murder Case [Read Petition]

BJP MP Subramanian Swamy on Thursday moved the Delhi High Court by way of a Public Interest Litigation seeking a time-bound court-monitored multi-disciplinary probe into the murder of Sunanda Pushkar, the wife of Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, who was found dead under mysterious circumstances at a five-star hotel suite on January 17, 2014.

Dr Subramanian Swamy through advocate and co-petitioner Ishkaran Singh Bhandari sought a proper and time-bound probe in the case which they said ​​“is an extreme example of the slow-motion of the criminal justice process and the extent to which it can be subverted by the rich and influential. It unfolds the apparent apathy on the part of all those concerned with the administration of criminal justice”.

The PILhas been filed against Delhi Police, the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Central Bureau of Investigation.

It is likely to come up for hearing on July 12.

51-year-old Pushkar was found dead at a suite in a five-star hotel in South Delhi on the night of January 17, 2014.

No case was registered and the cause of death was suggested poisoning.  No arrests have been made in the case till date.

Mr Swamy requested that the PIL be treated as urgent saying “very influential people are involved in the case, leading to attempts to protect them and the matter has faced a lot of unnecessary delay already”.

The PIL prays for “a court monitored investigation by constituting a multi disciplinary SIT consisting of Intelligence Bureau, Enforcement Directorate, RAW, Delhi Police and headed by CBI” or a time-bound CBI probe.

The PIL brings to court’s attention the fact that even three years after Ms Pushkar’s mysterious murder, no charge-sheet has been filed and no arrests have been made. It also lists various delays and the manner in which the probe was botched up by the police themselves.

It says, “The fact that influential political personalities and their henchmen are involved in this case presents an added dimension to the issue and raises questions on the efficacy of the existing systems and practices to counter the moves of such influential persons facing serious criminal charges”.

Mr Swamy had on July 14, 2014 also written to the Home Minister requesting to order an SIT investigation headed by the CBI to enquire into Ms Pushkar’s death. His request was rejected two years later.

While no arrests have been or charge sheet filed, nine months after her death, the Delhi Police added another dimension to the case saying some of her belongings were missing from the hotel room at the time of her death.

The statement of Dr. Shashi Tharoor was recorded after nine months of inordinate delay from the death of Sunanda Pushkar.

A case of murder was registered a year later.