Delhi’s Patiala Court has granted Congress MP Shashi Tharoor the permission to travel abroad on Monday to meet the family of former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who passed away on August 18. The court has been hearing his wife, Sunanda Pushkar’s death case. 

The Congress legislator from Thiruvananthapuram sought permission from Patiala Court to express condolences to the family of former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who passed away on Saturday and pay his respects. Tharoor worked under Annan for ten years and he was his mentor at the United Nations.


Tharoor is an accused in his wife Sunanda Pushkar's death case. The court had earlier barred him from foreign travel without prior permission.

The court also allowed him to visit the United Nations Headquarters to seek aid for Kerala floods after an urgent application was moved by senior advocate Vikas Pahwa and advocate Gaurav Gupta, representing Tharoor.

Annan's death was earlier confirmed by his family and foundation on his official Twitter handle.

Tharoor is on regular bail in a case relating to his wife Sunanda Pushkar's death four years ago, in 2014 in a luxury hotel, The Leela Palace in New Delhi. He’s currently facing trial on charges of abetment of suicide and committing cruelty in the Pushkar’s death case.

Tharoor will also visit the United Nations headquarters in Geneva to seek aid for flood victims of his home state, Kerala. The state is reeling under unprecedented floods for last few weeks.

Earlier this month, Tharoor was allowed to go abroad for a few days starting from August 10. The court asked him to pay Rs 2 lakh before leaving the country as a fixed deposit.

The council said that Tharoor is scheduled to leave on Monday evening and he will return on Tuesday.