Verdict a great relief, says Shashi Tharoor

Shashi Tharoor thanked the Delhi court judge after his acquittal in the Sunanda Pushkar death case on Wednesday.

It was “an absolute torture for last seven-and-a-half-years,” Tharoor said.

He also said the verdict is a “great relief.”

Taking to Twitter, Tharoor posted his statement and said, "This brings a significant conclusion to the long nightmare which had enveloped me after the tragic passing of my late wife Sunanda."

"I have weathered dozens of unfounded accusations and media vilification patiently, sustained by my faith in the Indian judiciary, which today stands vindicated," the former Union minister said.

During the arguments, while police had sought framing of various charges, including 306 (abetment of suicide), senior advocate Vikas Pahwa, appearing for Tharoor, told the court that the investigation conducted by the SIT completely exonerated the politician of all the charges levelled against him.

The death case was turned to a political controversy and was being used against him by the opponents. 

Tharoor was charged under sections 498A (husband or relative of husband of a woman subjecting her to cruelty) and 306 of the Indian Penal Code by the Delhi Police, but was not arrested in the case. Sunanda was found dead in a luxury hotel in Delhi on January 17, 2014.

Tharoor was granted anticipatory bail on July 5, 2018.

(With inputs from PTI)