The Special Investigation Team inquiring into the death of Sunanda Pushkar on Wednesday opposed her husband Congress MP Shashi Tharoor’s plea for anticipatory bail. The Patiala House Court reserved its order on the plea for Thursday.

The court had issued him summons in June, and asked him to appear on July 7. Last month, the court said Tharoor would face trial on charges of abetting suicide and subjecting his wife to cruelty. Pushkar was found dead at the Leela Palace hotel in New Delhi on January 17, 2014.

After the Delhi Police charged Tharoor, he claimed the charges were “preposterous and baseless” and a product of a “malicious and vindictive campaign against myself”. “I will continue to vigorously contest these charges and maintain my steadfast conviction that ultimately the truth will prevail through the judicial system that we are privileged to have in our country,” the Thiruvananthapuram MP had said.