Sunanda Pushkar Death Case Against Shashi Tharoor: A Timeline Of Events

It has been seven years since Sunanda Pushkar, the late wife of politician Shashi Tharoor was found dead in her hotel room in the national capital.

Will Tharoor be discharged from the case? Or will charges of abetment to suicide and cruelty be framed against him in connection with the death of Pushkar?

A Special Court in Delhi designated to hear matters pertaining to legislators is set to decide on Wednesday.

Here are the important events in the case so far:

January 17, 2014: Sunanda Pushkar is found dead in her room at Hotel Leela.

January 1, 2015: Delhi Police registers FIR under Sections 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code, names no one.

July 21, 2017: Delhi court orders de-sealing of suite number 345 of Hotel Leela, where Pushkar's dead body was found, after Hotel moves court.

October 16, 2017: Delhi Police informs court it has de-sealed the room and handed over possession to the Hotel.

May 14, 2018: In a 3,000-page chargesheet, Delhi Police charges Shashi Tharoor with abetment to suicide and cruelty.

May 24, 2018: Delhi court transfers the Sunanda Pushkar death case to a special court designated to deal with cases of MPs and MLAs.

May 28, 2018: Prosecution urges court to take cognisance of Sections 306 (abetment to suicide) and 498A (cruelty) against Shashi Tharoor.

June 5, 2018: Finding "sufficient grounds" to proceed against Shashi Tharoor in the case, court takes cognisance of abetment to suicide and cruelty charges, summons him to appear on July 7.

July 4, 2018: Court hears Senior Advocates Kapil Sibal and Abhishek Manu Singhvi for Tharoor on his anticipatory bail plea, reserves order.

July 5, 2018: Shashi Tharoor gets protection from arrest after court says police hasn’t brought anything on record to show if he had tried to influence witnesses or tamper with evidence.

July 7, 2018: Shashi Tharoor appears before court following summons, granted regular bail. "He has already been admitted on anticipatory bail by learned Session Court vide order dated 05.07.2018. In compliance of the order of learned Session Court, accused furnished bail bonds. The bail bonds are accepted," says magistrate court.

February 4, 2019: Magistrate court commits case to Sessions Court for trial.

May 24, 2019: Court junks Rajya Sabha MP Subramaniam Swamy’s plea seeking to bring the Delhi Police Vigilance Report on the alleged evidence tampering in the case on record. Court says that he does not have locus-standi and that it cannot pass any direction for further probe, as cognizance had been taken.

July 18, 2019: On Tharoor's plea apprehending misreporting of the case, Court orders that experts consulted by the prosecution shall not share documents of the case’s chargesheet with any other third party or stranger.

March 17, 2021: Senior Advocate Vikas Pahwa seeks discharge of Tharoor from the case, stating that there was no conclusive cause of death even after seven years.

April 12, 2021: Court reserves order on framing of charges against Shashi Tharoor.

July 2, 2021: Special court posts orders on framing of charges against Shashi Tharoor on July 27. "Put up for orders/arguments if any, on 27.07.2021," the order stated.

July 27, 2021: Verdict gets deferred again, now pronouncement to take place on August 18, 2021. "I will not be entertaining any more applications," says Judge Geetanjli Goel.