Sunanda Pushkar death case: Court dismisses Subramanian Swamy's plea
New Delhi, May 24: A Delhi court Friday dismissed an application of BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, seeking a direction to city police to bring on record a vigilance report on the alleged evidence tampering in the case related to the death of Sunanda Pushkar, wife of Congress MP Shashi Tharoor.
Special judge Arun Bhardwaj said rejected Swamy's plea, saying he had "no locus-standi" to file the application.
Tharoor, a former Union minister, has been charged under sections 498-A (husband or his relative subjecting a woman to cruelty) and 306 (abetment of suicide) of the Indian Penal Code.
In his order, the judge said, "Neither the applicant has locus-standi to file this application nor this court can give any direction for further investigation in the matter as cognizance has already been taken and accused has been summoned to face trial."
Swamy had requested the court to "direct the prosecution to produce the vigilance enquiry report and satisfy this court that the shortcomings pointed out in the said report have been considered, investigated prior to the preparation and filing of charge sheet".
Senior advocate Vikas Pahwa, appearing for Tharoor, had told the court that Swamy was "an absolute stranger to the case having no connection either with the prosecution, deceased or the accused".
The Delhi Police had also told the court that since the cognizance on the charge sheet was already taken, no further probe could be ordered on the basis of the application moved by Swamy.
Swamy had told the court that the vigilance report might lead to framing of additional charges.
Pushkar was found dead in a suite of a luxury hotel in the city on the night of January 17, 2014. The couple were staying in the hotel as the official bungalow of Tharoor was being renovated at that time.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
