Sunanda Pushkar: Arguments on framing of charges against Shashi Tharoor to begin on August 20

Special Judge Arun Bhardwaj at the Rouse Avenue Court Complex today fixed August 20 and 22 as the dates for hearing the arguments on framing of charges against Shashi Tharoor in the Sunanda Pushkar case..The Court also recognised that the prosecution was free to share the documents in the case, including the chargesheet, and those pertaining to the advice of scientific, legal, forensic and other experts..It nonetheless clarified that as per the Criminal Procedure Code and the relevant Rules, documents of a case could not be shared with unauthorised third parties..To protect confidentiality, the Court thus directed the experts to not share the documents with anyone else. It also asked the prosecution to serve a copy of this order to all the experts it planned to refer to..The prosecution has also been asked to maintain a record of the experts it has referred..The order was passed after Special Public Prosecutor Atul Shrivastav sought permission to share the documents of the case..The application was opposed by counsel for accused Shashi Tharoor, Senior Advocate Vikas Pahwa, on the ground that strangers to the trial were not entitled to copies of any document. Last year, ACMM Samar Vishal had passed an order restraining the police from sharing the chargesheet and documents in the Sunanda Pushkar case..Pahwa had also raised apprehensions of a media trial in case the documents were accessed by the media, resulting in the violation of the right to fair trial, the right to privacy, and other Constitutional rights of the accused..The case was committed to the Sessions Court for trial by ACMM Samar Vishal on February 4..Pushkar was found dead in her suite at a five-star hotel situated in New Delhi in January 2014. Husband of Sunanda Pushkar and Congress leader Shashi Tharoor is the sole accused in the matter..The chargesheet names him for the commission of the offence of abetment of suicide under Section 306 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and committing cruelty under Section 498A, IPC..He was granted regular bail on July 7 after appearing before the Court pursuant to the summons issued against him.