NEW DELHI: Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, accused in a case related to death of his wife Sunanda Pushkar, was granted permission by a court to travel to Saudi Arabia for attending a seminar.
Pushkar was found dead in a Delhi luxury hotel on the night of January 17, 2014. Tharoor was charged under Sections 498-A (husband or his relative subjecting a woman to cruelty) and 306 of the IPC, but has not been arrested in the case.
Special CBI Judge Arun Bhardwaj permitted Tharoor, noting that the Congress MP was given permission to travel abroad earlier and had abided by the terms and conditions of the court. The judge also noted that another court had already allowed Tharoor to travel to the UAE, Qatar and Bahrain.
“Considering the fact that earlier the applicant/ accused was given permission to travel abroad and he has abided by the terms and conditions of the court, now the applicant/accused is further permitted to visit Saudi Arabia from February 28 to March 4 in addition to permission already granted to him to travel to UAE, Qatar and Bahrain,” the court said.
Tharoor had sought permission to travel abroad, saying he was invited by Kerala Muslim Cultural Centre, Saudi National Committee for a UDF National Seminar to be conducted from March 1-3, and to attend a conference on the invitation from Zahrani Group, Saudi Arabia.
The Delhi Police had opposed his plea, saying that invites are to be cross-checked for their veracity by communicating with the organisers.
The police contended the trial in the Pushkar’s death case is in the initial stage and Tharoor has property and other interests abroad and may settle there to evade the trial.“Granting travel permission for abroad at this early stage of proceedings may hamper the course of the trial and consequently delay delivery of justice in this matter,” it said.