Sunanda case: Court asks police to respond to hotel's plea to remove seal on room

A Delhi court, on Friday, has sought a reply from the Delhi police, on a plea filed by The Leela Palace hotel to remove the seal from room number 345, where Congress leader Shashi Tharoor's wife, Sunanda Pushkar, was found dead.

Metropolitan Magistrate Pankaj Sharma has sought that the Delhi police file a reply by July 21.

In their plea, hotel authorities have contended that the suite has been locked since January 17, 2014.

"Because of the continous lockage, termites, bugs and other insects have flourished in the room, affecting the adjoining areas as well. If the investigating agency wants to take the entire material for analysis, the hotel will allow it," Madhav Kumar, counsel for The Leela Palace, said.

An officer, speaking on behalf of the Delhi Police, said that the visit of experts and other investigation agencies is still pending and stated that the room should not be re-opened.

"Even after two visits of the experts of CFSL, CBI Lodhi road, and five opinions of Medical Boards consisting of doctors of AIIMS and one by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), the investigation is yet to come to a definite conclusion regarding the cause of death of the victim," the officer said in court.

The officer also contended that a PIL seeking a court-monitored probe, either by the CBI or SIT, is pending before the Delhi High Court. The court has fixed the next date of hearing on July 21.

Sunanda Pushkar was found dead in The Leela Palace under suspicious circumstances on January 17, 2014.