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Supreme Court dismisses Param Bir Singh’s plea seeking CBI investigation against Anil Deshmukh

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Supreme Court dismisses Param Bir Singh’s plea seeking CBI investigation against Anil Deshmukh

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court of India rejected the petition by former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh, seeking a CBI probe into the allegations of ‘abuse of power’ against sitting Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh. He had also challenged his ‘arbitrary transfer’ from the post of Mumbai CP in his petition filed on Monday.

As per reports, a 2-Judge Bench comprising of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Hrishikesh Roy noted that the allegations and counter-allegations are serious in nature. “We do acknowledge the matter is serious. But power of article 226 is wide. The High Court can deal with it,” the Bench said. While dismissing his plea, the Supreme Court granted Param Bir Singh the liberty to approach the Bombay High Court.

In his petition, Param Bir Singh said that his transfer through an order on March 17 was a violation of Article 14 (Equality before law) and Article 21 (Protection of life and personal liberty) of the Constitution. He added that his transfer violated the ‘established principle of stability of tenure of civil servants.’ The petition read, “It is submitted that this Hon’ble Court in the case titled T.S.R. Subramanian v. Union of India, reported in (2013) 15 SCC 732, it was held that such transfers are against the public interest.”

It further added, “The transfer of the Petitioner from the post of Police Commissioner, Mumbai has been done without any justifiable reasons and only upon the whims of the political executive.” Param Bir Singh also argued that Maharashtra Home Minister interfered frequently with police investigations and displayed ‘malicious intent’ to extort money from various restaurants and other establishments in Mumbai.

“This shows interfering in the investigations and directing the same to be conducted in a particular manner, and corrupt malpractices in posting/transfers of officers, cannot be countenanced or justified in any democratic State,” he said. The petition emphasised, “These acts of political interference are illegal & unconstitutional and Courts in our country including the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India have in the past come down heavily on such acts of interference in police investigations.”

Letter of Param Bir Singh to Maharashtra CM and counter-allegations

The Mumbai cop had created a lot of stir after writing a letter to CM Thackeray on the 20th of March. He said in his letter, “Sachin Vaze, who was heading the Crime Intelligence Unit of the Crime Branch of Mumbai Police was called by Shri Anil Deshmukh, Hon’ble Home Minister, Maharashtra, to his residence several times in the last few months and repeatedly instructed to assist in the collection of funds for the Hon’ble Home Minister.”

Anil Deshmukh had promptly denied the allegations and claimed that Param Bir Singh was making false allegations to avoid legal consequences over his own involvement. 

Chief Justice SA Bobde recommends Justice NV Ramana as his successor after his retirement

OpIndia Staff
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Chief Justice SA Bobde recommends Justice NV Ramana as his successor after his retirement

On Wednesday, Chief Justice of India SA Bobde recommended Justice NV Ramana as his successor as the Chief Justice of India. CJI Bobde is set to retire on April 23.

According to the reports, the Chief Justice of India has sent his formal recommendation to the Government of India to appoint the second senior-most judge in the Supreme Court – NV Ramana, as the next CJI. The development comes after the centre had asked the CJI to recommend his successor less than a month before his retirement.

Currently, Justice NV Ramana is the most senior judge in the Supreme Court after CJI Bobde. Born on August 27, 1957, Justice Ramana has tenure till August 26, 2022.

Justice Ramana has earlier served as the permanent judge of the Andhra Pradesh High Court in June 2000. He served as Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court before being elevated to the Supreme Court in February 2014. If appointed, Justice Ramana will be the 48th Chief Justice of India.

Justice Sharad Arvind Bobde was sworn in as the 47th Chief Justice of India in November 2019, succeeding Justice (retired) Ranjan Gogoi.

Procedure for the appointment of the Chief Justice of India

The outgoing Chief Justice of India traditionally appoints the Chief Justice of India on the day or before his/her retirement. There are no exact provisions in the Constitution of India to appoint the Chief Justice of India. As there are no constitutional provisions, the procedure relies on custom and convention.

The procedure to appoint the next CJI is laid out in the Memorandum of Procedure (MoP) between the government and the judiciary. As per the Memorandum of Procedure (MoP), the sitting chief justice writes a recommendation for his successor.

The procedures for the appointment of members of the higher judiciary states that the appointment to the office of the Chief Justice of India should be of the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court considered fit to hold the office.

The rules stipulate that the law minister would seek the recommendation of the outgoing Chief Justice of India for the appointment of the next CJI at an appropriate time. The Chief Justice of India then recommends the name of the second senior-most judge as per the convention.

Based on the recommendation of the CJI, the law minister puts it before the Prime Minister who advises the President in the matter of appointment.

“Whenever there is any doubt about the fitness of the senior-most Judge to hold the office of the Chief Justice of India, consultation with other Judges…would be made for the appointment of the next Chief Justice of India,” the procedure further states.

Except for the law minister seeking the recommendation from the incumbent CJI and forwarding it to the Prime Minister, the government has no say whatsoever in the appointment of the CJI.

After her ‘Bengali vs Outsider’ rhetorics, Mamata Banerjee gets Congress ally Hemant Soren to campaign for her

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After her ‘Bengali vs Outsider’ rhetorics, Mamata Banerjee gets Congress ally Hemant Soren to campaign for her

On Tuesday, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee informed that Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren will campaign for her party in the poll-bound state. The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) supremo had earlier ditched its ally Congress and vowed his support to the Trinamool Congress (TMC) in the run-up to the crucial State Legislative polls.

As per reports, Hemant Soren will be campaigning for the TMC today (March 24) in the Purulia and Bankura constituencies. Both of them have a ‘sizeable population’ of Adivasis (tribals). The development comes days after Mamata Banerjee and her fellow party member Derek O’ Brien had initiated a debate around ‘Outsiders Vs Bengalis’.

‘Outsider vs Bengali’ rhetorics of the TMC

In a bid to rake up Bengali sentiments, the Trinamool Congress had attacked several BJP leaders by dubbing them as ‘outsiders’ in the land of Bengalis. In November last year, Mamata Banerjee urged people to ‘resist outsiders’. She remarked, “If some goons from outside come to our state and terrorise you, all of you should unite and resist them. I promise we will stand by you. We believe in peace. But few people come to the state only during the elections to terrorise others. We won’t allow them to have a free run here.”

In December last year, she again reignited the debate around ‘Bengali vs Outsider.’ She said, “Remember, BJP is not a party of Bengal but it is a party of Delhi and Gujarat. They should return to those states. Don’t trust the BJP or believe them. If you want to fight elections in Bengal, do it without bringing outsiders.” She continued to take potshots ahead of the election with ‘outsider jibe’ as well.

On March 21, Trinamool Congress leader Derek O’Brien attacked Home Minister Amit Shah by calling him an ‘outsider’. In a tweet, he said, “A resident of Gujarat with a resident of Madhya Pradesh by his (right) side, releases a manifesto and then makes a full speech in Hindi to create a #ShonarBangla.” His ‘outsider’ jibe was despite the fact that Derek O’ Brien himself has Irish descent and therefore Anglo-Indian.

Earlier this month, the BJP slammed the Trinamool Congress for inviting its political allies from other States to campaign for the party. “The chief minister and her nephew have been calling the BJP as an outsider. But now they are inviting other parties to Bengal to counter the BJP. Are they not outsiders? Actually, the TMC is afraid and knows very well that it is going to lose this election,” BJP spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya emphasised.

West Bengal election scheduled from March 27

The West Bengal State Legislative polls will be conducted in 8 phases. The elections will commence from 27 and the counting will be done on May 2. Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora informed that the second phase will be conducted on April 1 for 30 constituencies, followed by the 3rd Phase on April 6. The 4th phase will be conducted on April 10, followed by 5th and 65th phase on April 17 and April 23 respectively. The last phase of polls will take place on April 29.


After Allahabad University VC, UP Minister Anand Swarup Shukla complains about loud Azaan on mosque loudspeakers

OpIndia Staff
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After Allahabad University VC, UP Minister Anand Swarup Shukla complains about loud Azaan on mosque loudspeakers

After the Vice-Chancellor of Allahabad Central University, Professor Sangita Srivastava objected to the loud noise of loudspeakers at a mosque near her residence, Uttar Pradesh Minister of State (MoS) for Parliamentary Affairs Anand Swarup Shukla wrote to Ballia District Magistrate on Tuesday saying that the volume of loudspeakers at mosques should be fixed according to court orders.

Not able to perform government duties due to loudspeaker noise: Shukla

According to reports, Shukla said that he faced problem in performing everyday duties due to the noise of loudspeakers. “Namaaz is offered five times in a day, and throughout the day. As a result of it, I face problems in doing Yoga, meditation, puja and discharging government duties”, Shukla wrote in his letter referring to the Kajipura Madina Masjid in his constituency. He added that the loud sound coming from the mosque obstruct the studies of students in nearby schools.

Loud volume affects students, senior citizens: Shukla

“Religious publicity takes place through loudspeakers. Information regarding donations for the construction of mosques is disseminated in an extremely loud volume. This has an adverse impact on students, elder citizens and the health of patients. The common public is facing extreme noise pollution”, Shukla added.

Shukla said that the volume of loudspeakers at mosques should be fixed in accordance with the order of the Allahabad High Court and unnecessary loudspeakers should be removed.

Allahabad Central University VC had complained against Azan on loudspeaker

Earlier this month, Professor Sangita Srivastava had complained to the District Magistrate, the Commissioner of Police, the Inspector Genera and other officials about the Azaan played on loudspeakers at a mosque near her residence. She said that the sound of Azan disrupted her sleep early in the morning that in turn affected her work throughout the day. The Azaan on loudspeakers did not stop ever after her complaint. However, the management committee of the mosque concerned reportedly changed the direction of one of the two loudspeakers and reduced their volume.

‘Producer wanted to sleep with me’: Ankita Lokhande shares her experience of facing ‘casting couch’ in film industry

OpIndia Staff
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‘Producer wanted to sleep with me’: Ankita Lokhande shares her experience of facing ‘casting couch’ in film industry

On Monday, actress Ankita Lokhande narrated her experience with the ‘casting couch’ in the Hindi film industry. She is the former partner of the deceased actor Sushant Singh Rajput and was the star of Ekta Kapoor’s hit TV show Pavitra Rishta.

Ankita has been one of the most popular and highest paid TV actors before she ventured out for movies.

In an interview with Bollywood bubble, the ‘Pavitra Rishta’ fame actress said that she encountered predatory men twice during her career. Ankita Lokhande recounted that her first experience with the ‘casting couch’ was when she very young, in her late teens. She was called for an audition in a South Indian film. She was asked to ‘compromise’ and sleep with the producer’ to bag a role in the film.

The actress emphasised, “I feel I am a very strong personality. I don’t let anybody look at me also like that. I’m like ‘Don’t you dare to do that.’ Yes, I have faced it once, no, I think I have faced it twice.” Ankita Lokhande recalled being ‘naive’ and asking “Which type of compromise does your producer want? Do I have to go to parties or dinners?”

Video Courtesy: Youtube/

On realising that the offer was to sleep with the producer, she told the person, “I think your producer wants a girl to sleep with, not a very talented girl to work with.” The man apologised and said that he would try to give her the role in the movie. However, a miffed Ankita Lokhande clarified, “Even if you try casting me now, I’m not interested in your film.” Following that, she left the place.

Her second encounter with the casting couch took place after she had already become a popular actress in the TV show ‘Pavitra Rishta.’ She said, “When I got back again into films, I felt it again, just shaking hands with that person. I don’t want to take names, he was a big actor.” Lokhande added, “I got those vibes, and I quickly got my hands away from him. I knew it, ab mera yahaan nahi hoga (it will not work out for me), because it is a give and take thing. I understood and I left from there because it was not for me.”

The actress made her Bollywood debut with Kangana Ranaut’s film ‘Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi’ in 2019. She was also seen in a supporting role in ‘Baaghi 3’.

Mehbooba Mufti aide Waheed Ur Rehman Para ran a stone-pelting racket in Kashmir, arranged weapons for terrorists: NIA

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Mehbooba Mufti aide Waheed Ur Rehman Para ran a stone-pelting racket in Kashmir, arranged weapons for terrorists: NIA

In a sensational disclosure, the National Investigation Agency has revealed that the arrested Peoples Democratic Party leader and Mehbooba Mufti’s close aide Waheed Ur Rehman Para ran a “stone-pelting” racket and smuggled weapons for terrorists in South Kashmir, reports Republic TV.

In the charge-sheet filed against PDP leader Waheed Ur Rehman Para and three others, the NIA has said that Para was part of a larger conspiracy and was running a “stone pelting” racket in South Kashmir. The NIA said that Waheed-ur-Rehman Para misused his position and government machinery to smuggle AK-47 Rifles and ammunition by using his official vehicle.

In its charge-sheet, the agency said that the weapons were supplied to active terrorists of South Kashmir. The charge-sheet was filed in the case pertaining to the arrest of Hizbul Commander Naved Babu along with DSP Davinder Singh and others. The NIA had earlier filed a charge-sheet against eight accused in this case.

Para organised stone-pelting in Pulwama, says NIA

Further, in its charge-sheet filed in Special NIA Court Jammu, the NIA had accused PDP Youth Leader Para of running a ‘Stone Pelting’ racket in South Kashmir’s Pulwama district to attain political mileage. The charge-sheet said that Para organised a racket of stone pelters in Pulwama District in 2010-11.

Para arranged a group of 20-25 youth who were involved in stone-pelting in Pulwama, which yielded the PDP leaders some political mileage, said the charge-sheet.

“Waheed Ur Rehman Para extended support to the active terrorists of HM and Lot in Kashmir valley. Investigation revealed that Waheed Ur Rehman entered into a criminal conspiracy along with accused Irfan Shafi Mir Davender Singh and Syed Naveed Mushtaq for raising funds for the banned terrorist organisation HM for procurement of arms and ammunition for the terrorists active in Kashmir valley to sustain the on-going terrorist activities in the Union territory of J&K,” NIA charge-sheet reads.

Para had also recently secured a win in the DDC election from Pulwama. He is currently in jail.

Para had allegedly paid money to Hizbul, says NIA

Earlier, the NIA had said that Jammu & Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party leader Waheed Ur Rehman Para allegedly paid Rs 10 lakh to terror outfit Hizb-ul-Mujahideen to ensure its support ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

The NIA had alleged that Waheed Ur Rehman Para had several meetings with accused Irfan Shafi Mir at his house located at Gupkar Road, Srinagar. Waheed Ur Rehman Para associated himself with the banned terrorist organisation Hizbul Mujahideen and provided Rs.10 Lacs to Hizbul terrorist Irfan Shafi Mir for further handing over the same to Syed Naveed Mushtaq for buying of arms and ammunition for the Islamic terror outfit.

Reportedly, the money was delivered to Hizbul operative Syed Mushtaq Naveed alias Naveed Babu through Davinder Singh. The arrested J&K police officer had allegedly received the money at Srinagar airport, where he was posted then and had carried the same hidden in a tiffin box.

Davinder Singh was arrested along with Hizb-ul-Mujahideen terrorists Naveed Babu and Asif Rather on January 11 when they were travelling together in a car. Later, it was reported that he was on the payroll of the Islamic terrorist organisation. Subsequently, his case was handed over to the NIA. The NIA had taken over the case on the 18th of January.

Egypt: Suez Canal blocked after a large container ship from China ran aground

OpIndia Staff
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Egypt: Suez Canal blocked after a large container ship from China ran aground

An outsize container ship named ‘Ever Given’ has run aground in the Suez Canal after being blown off course by a “gust of wind”, resulting in a huge traffic jam of vessels at either end of the crucial international trade route. The cargo ship, which is three-years-old and is registered in Panama, was on its way to Rotterdam in the Netherlands from China when it got stuck in the Suez Canal.

Weighing 220,000 tonnes and running 400 metres long, the “mega-ship” became stuck near the southern end of the narrow canal on Tuesday morning.

A large number of tugs surrounded the vessel, operated by Taiwanese transport company Evergreen Marine, in an attempt to move it. However, attempts to clear the waterway did not succeed. Nevertheless, the efforts to remove the container from the narrow lane are still on, with experts claiming that it could take about 2 days for the canal to be cleared.

Photos snapped from another container in the canal, the Maersk Denver, show the Ever Given stuck at an angle across the narrow waterway. The tugs sent by the Egyptian authorities pales in comparison to the size of the container.

Earlier, it was reported that the container ran out of power. But later, the Taiwanese company issued a statement that said the ship ran aground after a suspected gust of wind hit it.

The company said the shipowner told them Ever Given “was suspected of being hit by a sudden strong wind, causing the hull to deviate from waterway and accidentally hit the bottom and run aground”.

The company further added that it is in touch with the canal management authority to help in clearing the major international artery as soon as possible.

“The company has urged the shipowner to report the cause of the incident and has been in discussions with relevant parties including the canal management authority to assist the ship as soon as possible,” the statement said.

Suez Canal—A vital trade link that connects Asia and Europe

Suez Canal is a crucial lane that links the Mediterranean to the Red Sea and is the fastest maritime link between Asia and Europe. The watercourse, which is around 193 km long, was built by the Suez Canal Company in the mid-1860s and was officially opened in 1869.

It is estimated that about 12 per cent of the world trade volume happens through it, making it one of the world’s busiest trade route. According to the Suez Canal Authority, about 19,000 carriers, or an average of 51.5 ships per day, with a net tonnage of 1.17 billion tonnes passed through the waterway in 2020.

Human skeletons emerge from a house in Haryana after floor dug for construction work

OpIndia Staff
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Human skeletons emerge from a house in Haryana after floor dug for construction work

A shocking incident of human skeletons being unearthed in a house in Panipat, Haryana came to light on Tuesday. According to reports, three human skeletons were found buried beneath the cement floor of a house located in Shiv Nagar Panipat. The skeletons emerged after the house occupants decided to undertake some construction work at the ground floor of the house.

Skeletons emerged when the floor of the house was dug for some construction work

The current occupants of the house have reportedly been living in the house for about two and a half years after buying the house. Deputy Superintendent of Police Satish Vats told that the occupants started some construction work at the ground floor of the house. When the labourers started digging the cemented floor in the house, three human skeletons were found buried under.

It is clear that three people were murdered and buried: DSP

DSP Vats reached at the scene with a forensic team and started investigation on receiving information about skeletons. The DSP said that it was clear three people were murdered and buried in the house. The police is gathering information about the previous owners. The forensic report will reveal the gender of the skeletons and how old they are. A case has been registered by the police under sections 302 (murder) and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence) of the Indian Penal Code.

Bengal: 3 days before elections, BJP mandal president found hanging in Dinhata, party alleges TMC hand

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Bengal: 3 days before elections, BJP mandal president found hanging in Dinhata, party alleges TMC hand

Ahead of the assembly elections in West Bengal, the scourge of political violence continues unabated in the state. In yet another shocking incident, a BJP Mandal President was found hanging in Dinhata, Cooch Behar district in West Bengal.

According to the reports, a BJP worker identified as Amit Sarkar, the Mandal President of the BJP unit in Dinhata, was found hanging just three days ahead of the first phase of the West Bengal assembly elections.

BJP leaders blame TMC for murder

Meanwhile, the BJP has accused Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress of killing their party workers. The local BJP leaders alleged that Sarkar was picked up from his residence by TMC cadres, and later, he was found dead mysteriously.

“Amit Sarkar, Mandal president of Dinhata Town, was hanged to death by TMC goons, just 72 hours before the first phase. Is this what TMC meant by Khela Hobe? Bengal has been reduced to a blood field, with political killings becoming the norm. BJP has lost over 130 of its cadres,” tweeted Amit Malviya, the national in-charge of the BJP social media cell, condemning the political violence against BJP workers.

Political violence against BJP continue to rise in West Bengal

The political violence against the BJP workers in the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal continues to rise as this the seventh such incident of death of a BJP member in Bengal in the last few months.

On July 13, 2020, BJP MLA Debendra Nath Roy from Bengal’s North Dinajpur district was found hanging near his house in a closed tea shop in the village of Rajiganj. State BJP president Dilip Ghosh had claimed that he was murdered for political reasons and demanded a high-level inquiry into the matter.

In another incident in June, a BJP worker was found hanging from a tree near his house in Bengal’s East Midnapore district. The BJP leaders had alleged that he was killed by the TMC workers after he had refused to join them. The BJP leader Purnachandra Das was a booth president of BJP in the Ramnagar area of the south Bengal district.

In September last year, a BJP worker named Rabin Paul was lynched to death in the Pathar Ghata village in Kalna in West Bengal. During the incident, he was first beaten mercilessly by the TMC supporters and then taken to another place in the village where Paul was thrashed by the TMC Deputy Chief. 

On September 13, the body of a BJP worker named Ganesh Roy was found hanging on a tree in Goghat in Hoogly district of the State. Roy was well-known in the area as an active BJP worker. His son has alleged that Roy was murdered by the party workers of the Trinamool Congress. He claimed that they hung his body on the tree after killing him.

Later on October 5, BJP’s former councillor Manish Shukla was gunned down in Titagarh in North 24-Parganas. Manish Shukla was hit by several bullets fired by the attackers who were wearing helmets. A few days later, the West Bengal police had arrested a ‘TMC activist’ for harbouring killers of BJP leader Manish Shukla and had recovered bikes, carbines and pistols.

In the same month, a BJP leader from West Bengal’s East Medinipur district was suspiciously found dead in police custody. The 52-year-old Madan Ghorai, who was the vice-president of Pataspur BJP unit, has allegedly died in police custody in East Midnapore district, West Bengal.

“He cannot even hurt a fly” Shashi Tharoor’s lawyer reads out Sunanda Pushkar’s son’s statement to suggest no mistreatment to wife

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“He cannot even hurt a fly” Shashi Tharoor’s lawyer reads out Sunanda Pushkar’s son’s statement to suggest no mistreatment to wife

A Delhi Court on Tuesday heard the submissions made before Special Judge Geetanjali Goel by Senior Advocate Vikas Pahwa, appearing on behalf of Congress MP Dr. Shashi Tharoor, an accused in the Sunanda Pushkar death case. As reported by Indian Express, Pahwa in this hearing read aloud Sunanda Pushkar’s son, Shiv Menon’s statement to the police who stated that he believes Tharoor cannot hurt even a fly.

The detailed statement by her son revealed Sunanda’s equation with Tharoor, her medical condition, and the change of statement by the doctor who conducted the postmortem.

Quoting Shiv Menon’s statement, Vikas Pahwa read: “In the mortuary I asked about the cause of death to the doctor who conducted the postmortem. He told me that there is no poisoning… there is no foul play. It may have been due to sleeplessness, hunger, excessive smoking and stress. But just after 15-20 minutes the same doctor… went into the media and reported the cause of death is due to poisoning or unnatural causes. In my strong belief Shashi cannot even harm a fly. He could not even think of harming her…Unfortunately at the end of her life, she was a bit unstable due to her mental state but I would just like to conclude that Shashi could not have murdered her….”

In the last hearing, Vikas Pahwa argued that there was no conclusive proof suggesting the real cause of death and hence he rested his arguments today on individual facts like medications that Sunanda Pushkar was on and statements of ten members close to the deceased, to prove no allegations were levelled against Tharoor by friends and family.

After reading out a list of medications that Sunanda Pushkar was on, the Senior Advocate quoted her son’s statement which was given by him to the police: “I informed her that it is an antidepressant and not a sleeping pill… she has been taking it for many years… While she leaving for India she hugged me… she told me that I have a bad feeling that I am not going to see you again. She always used to speak that she is ill and will die at a very short time. … my mother was very emotional. Every time when she came to India she was found in an aggressive mood. She used to become angry over small things and short tempered. I tried to pacify her, Shashi is a busy man and loves her very much… there was a lack of communication between them (sic).”

To substantiate his argument, Vikas Pahwa revealed that according to some of the family members, Tharoor took Sunanda Pushkar to the doctors in India as well as while they were in France considering her medical condition.

Based on Shiv Menon’s statement, Pahwa argued that “The only son of the deceased clearly said that Tharoor had nothing to do with the death but my friend (Prosecutor) wants to frame charges on him.”

After listening to the arguments at length, the matter has been listed for 26th March 2021 at 2PM for further arguments.

Sunanda Pushkar death case

Sunanda Pushkar, the wife of Congress party leader Shashi Tharoor was found dead under mysterious conditions in her suite at Delhi’s Leela Hotel on January 17, 2014.

On January 16, 2014, Sunanda Pushkar had a spat on Twitter with Pakistani journalist Mehr Tarar after rumours of the latter having affair with Shashi Tharoor went abuzz. Sunanda also accused Mehr of being an ISI agent and of stalking her, however, Mehr refuted these allegations, calling them ‘absurd’. Hours later these tweets were deleted from Sunanda Pushkar’s timeline. The following day, Pushkar was found dead in suite number 345 of Delhi’s Leela Hotel.

The case was then handed over to the Delhi police after the postmortem reports revealed that Sunanda had 12 injury marks on her body and nominal traces of anti-anxiety drug Alprazolam were found in her stomach resulting in an unnatural death.

On May 15, 2018, the Delhi Police charged Congress MP Shashi Tharoor with abetting the suicide of his wife and accused Tharoor of subjecting Pushkar to cruelty in a 3000-page charge sheet.

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