Using forensic psychology to probe Sunanda Pushkar death, HC told

Sunanda Pushkar was found dead inside a suite of a five-star hotel in Delhi on January 17, 2014.

Sunanda Pushkar, SUnanda Pushkar death case, Sunanda Pushkar case probe, Sunanda Pushkar's death, Shahshi Tharoor, CBI,

Sunanda Pushkar was found dead on January 17, 2014

Delhi Police on Thursday told the Delhi High Court that it will resort to a new method of investigation — forensic pyschology — to investigate the death of Sunanda Pushkar, wife of Congress MP Shashi Tharoor. Stating that there were at least three cases in the country where a similar test was conducted, police said the investigation would take a maximum of eight weeks, following which it would file its report. The bench of Justice G S Sistani and Justice Chander Shekhar, however, directed police to file an affidavit — stating their plan of action — within two weeks.

The bench said the probe, which started in 2014, was not yet concluded, and now police wanted to pursue an additional mode of investigation. “Should any investigative agency drag the probe for so long?” the court asked. Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Sanjay Jain, appearing for Delhi Police, said, “The police have not left any stone unturned and every possible angle has been examined, but towards the conclusion of the investigation, it came across the new methodology of forensic psychology.”

Meanwhile, BJP leader Subramanian Swamy told the court that the Enforcement Directorate could probe the case from the angle of the Indian Premier League, as a few days before her death, Pushkar had called a press conference
to “expose a serious corruption case”. The court, however, refrained from going into this aspect saying it will consider it at an appropriate stage. “We do not want to create any distraction at this moment,” the bench said, posting the matter for further hearing on October 26.

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Earlier, Swamy had filed a petition seeking directions to Delhi Police, CBI and Ministry of Home Affairs to constitute a Special Investigation Team to conduct the probe. Pushkar was found dead inside a suite of a five-star hotel in Delhi on January 17, 2014.

Who is a forensic psychologist

A forensic psychologist is a specialist, who applies clinical psychology to the forensic setting. The specialist applies psychological knowledge, theory and skills to the understanding and functioning of legal and criminal justice systems. He/she collects and reports evidence of a psychological nature for use in legal and quasi-legal proceedings and mostly relies on third party information, written communication and statements made at the time of a crime. The specialist determines the mental state of the person being examined at the time of the crime. (Express News Service)

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