The Gujarat High Court has declined to quash the abetment of suicide case against a former BJP district president. The Court, in its observations, highlighted the financial transactions between the petitioner and the deceased. It was noted that the petitioner had lent significant amounts to the deceased, charging exorbitant interest rates that ranged from 36% per annum to as high as 60% per annum.
“Moreover, it appears that certain land documents or valuable properties were executed in favour of the petitioner, either by the deceased or some of his close relatives. Based on the available evidence, it is evident that there were constant demands for the recovery of these amounts, often accompanied by threats, which took place at the deceased’s business premises and residence. Subsequently, the deceased consumed poison, leading to his hospitalisation,”
the judge observed.
A pivotal piece of evidence that the Court took into account was the suicide note discovered during the investigation. This note explicitly named specific individuals and detailed the harassment the deceased endured from them. The judge stated,
“These details are available on the record of the Investigating Officer. The existence of the suicide note, authored by the deceased, supports the allegations made by the complainant. Prima facie, an offence under section 306 of the IPC is made out.“
Given the weight of the evidence and the serious nature of the allegations, the Court determined that the petition lacked merit and thus dismissed it. The Court further directed,
“Contentions raised in the petitions are required to be tested after proper investigation and after submitting the final report by the Investigating Officer before the trial court, considering the pendency of the proceedings since the year 2017, let proper investigation be carried out expeditiously and further proceedings shall also be expeditiously proceeded.”
