Indian Opposition MP Shashi Tharoor cleared of charges in wife's death case

A Delhi court has cleared prominent Congress Party member of Parliament Shashi Tharoor of charges in connection with the death of his wife, Sunanda Pushkar.

Special Judge Geetanjali Goel of the Rouse Avenue Court said on August 18 that the accused was discharged and asked him to file a bond.

“It's been seven-and-half years of absolute torture. I really appreciate it," said Tharoor, who was present during the virtual hearing, according to Indian media reports.

Tharoor is a leading Opposition MP in the Indian Parliament for the southern state of Kerala and also a prolific author and ex-diplomat, with 25 years of experience served as undersecretary-general at the United Nations for communications and public information.

He married Pushkar, a former Dubai-based businesswoman, in 2010.

In January 2014, she was found dead at a luxury hotel suite in Delhi.

The former minister was charged by Delhi Police under Sections 498-A (husband or relative of husband of a woman subjecting her to cruelty) and 306 (abetment of suicide) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

In a statement posted on Twitter, Tharoor said the verdict brought a "significant conclusion to the long nightmare" which had enveloped him after his wife's death. "I have weathered dozens of unfounded accusations and media vilification patiently, sustained by my faith in the Indian judiciary, which today stands vindicated," he said.