Delhi Police confirms Sunanda's death was due to poisoning and that further investigation is required to look at the 12 injuries on her body

The trial court has reserved Sunanda mysterious death case hearing to June 5th for taking cognizance of Delhi Police charge sheet accusing husband Shashi Tharoor. On Monday, Additional Public Prosecutor Atul Srivastava argued that the cause of death was poisoning and that it was confirmed by the All India Institute of Medial Sciences (AIIMS) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). He was responding to a question asked by the Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal. Further, the Prosecutor also said that there were 12 injuries on Sunanda’s body and that further investigation on this aspect was going on.

Delhi Police suggests further investigation needed to look into 12 injuries on her body

Delhi Police produced two emails of Sunanda showing her tendency to commit suicide. “I have no desire to live… All I pray for is death,” Sunanda Pushkar wrote in an e-mail to her husband Shashi Tharoor nine days before she was found dead in Hotel Leela here, police has told the court[1]. Police team headed by senior officers Manishi Chandra and V K P S Yadav were present in the court.

When the court assembled, one lady lawyer started arguing for Shashi Tharoor. According to lawyers in the know, the said lady lawyer belongs to senior lawyer Vikas Pahwa’s office. The Prosecutor Atul Srivastava objected and said the accused persons have no role now while the Prosecution is arguing for taking cognizance of their charge sheet.

Arguing for taking cognizance and summoning of Shashi Tharoor, the police also told the court that Sunanda’s death was due to poisoning and 27 tablets of Alprax were found in her room but it was not clear how many pills she had consumed.

Sunanda’s mail and messages on Social Media have been taken as a “dying declaration”, said Police, adding that the reason for death was poisoning and need of further probe on the injury marks on the body.

BJP leader and petitioner Subramanian Swamy was present in the court room the whole day, listening to the arguments of Delhi Police. Later coming out from the court, he told media, that he would at a later stage demand for the production of Delhi Police Vigilance Report on the violations and irregularities committed by the first probe[2] under the then Joint Commissioner Vivek Gogia[3]. He also said that he will alert the court on Shashi Tharoor’s attempts to intervene in the postmortem.

In a nearly 3,000-page charge sheet, the police named Tharoor as the only accused while also alleging that he had subjected his wife to cruelty. The Congress leader has been charged under sections 498A (husband or his relative subjecting a woman to cruelty) and 306 (abetment of suicide) of the Indian Penal Code. Under section 498A, the maximum punishment is up to three years of imprisonment, while jail term up to 10 years is prescribed under section 306. The couple’s domestic servant, Narayan Singh, has been named one of the key witnesses in the case.

According to prosecution sources, the charge sheet has mentioned that Sunanda was subjected to mental as well as physical cruelty.

References:

[1] A look at the timeline of investigation of Sunanda’s murder – Jan 24, 2016, PGurus.com

[2] Sunanda Murder: Swamy points out wrongdoings and faults in the Delhi Police probe – Aug 1, 2017, PGurus.com

[3] Home Ministry brings back Vivek Gogia, who hushed up the Sunanda Murder probe to Delhi Police – May 12, 2017, PGurus.com