A Delhi court on Thursday anticipatory granted bail to Congress MP Shashi Tharoor days before he was to appear before it in the Sunanda Pushkar death case.
Sunanda Pushkar death case: Shashi Tharoor will have to furnish a bail bond of Rs 1 lakh. He has been granted anticipatory bail by Delhi's Patiala House Court.
— ANI (@ANI) July 5, 2018
This comes even the Delhi police told the court on Wednesday that he may flee the country if he is allowed a bail.
The Indian Express quoted Special Public Prosecutor Atul Srivastava as saying, "He is a frequent flier and may settle abroad. Some of the key witnesses — including Narayan Singh and Bajrangi — are still working with Tharoor and he may influence them."
The court has summoned Tharoor on July 7 after the Delhi police named him in the chargesheet in the Sunanda Pushkar death case.
However, appearing for Tharoor, advocates Kapil Sibal and Abhishek Manu Singhvi told the court that the police were making contradictory statements.
The Indian Express quoted Sibal as saying that while the police had said in the chargesheet that since Tharoor had cooperated during the probe and hence he was not arrested, now they were saying the opposite (that he will flee the country).
The court has reserved its order on Tharoor's bail plea for today.
Tharoor's council has told the media that in his case, bail was "inevitable".
SIT categorically stated in charge sheet that probe is concluded & no custodial interrogation of any person is reqd. Law is very clear that if charge sheet is filed without arrest, bail is inevitable. Matter fixed for consideration at 10 am tomorrow: Counsel of Shashi Tharoor
— ANI (@ANI) July 3, 2018
Tharoor was named in the chargesheet filed by the Delhi police before the court on May 14. He has been charged with cruelty and abetment of suicide.
Pushkar was found dead under mysterious circumstances at the Leela Hotel in Delhi on January 17, 2014.