The Supreme Court freed a man after nearly 30 years, saying strained marriage alone can’t prove suicide abetment. No clear evidence showed he pushed his wife to take her life, the Court ruled.
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NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court of India gave relief to a man who was punished almost 30 years ago for allegedly causing his wife’s death by suicide. The man was earlier found guilty by both the trial court and the High Court.
But now, the Supreme Court said that there was no strong proof to show he forced or encouraged his wife to take such a step.
A bench of Justices JK Maheshwari and Aravind Kumar said that just because there were some fights or problems between husband and wife, it cannot be enough to hold someone guilty under Section 306 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). This law punishes people who are found guilty of abetment (instigating or encouraging) of suicide.
The top court made it clear that more than just past fights or emotional issues are needed to punish someone in such cases.
“Merely because there was some dispute between the parties by itself would not establish the act of abetment. Nothing has been brought on record to show that there was any direct link between the act of appellant and commission of suicide by the deceased,”
-the Court clearly said in its judgment.
Because of this reasoning, the Supreme Court cancelled the judgments given by the trial court in 2001 and the High Court in 2013. The court said there was no direct proof that the husband made his wife take her own life.
This case was related to a tragic incident in Uttarakhand, where a woman died due to burn injuries at her in-laws’ house. According to the prosecution (the side that brings the case in court), the husband had left his wife and was reportedly living with another woman.
Her family told the court that she had earlier written a complaint to the principal of the school where her husband worked.
After this, the police had tried to settle the matter. They also said that the woman and her husband had a serious fight just two days before she died.
Still, the Supreme Court said that even if these things are accepted as true, they are not enough to prove that the man had intended to make his wife commit suicide. The court said the law under Section 306 IPC needs more clear and strong proof showing that the person encouraged or pushed the victim to take this step.
So, the Supreme Court acquitted the man, meaning he is now not guilty in the eyes of the law.
The man who was earlier convicted was represented in the Supreme Court by a team of lawyers: Rajal Rai Dua, Divyangana, Ankur Parihar, Osheen Bhat and Anupam Raina.
The other side (the respondents) was represented by lawyers: Suveni Bhagat and Anubha Dhulia.
CASE TITLE:
Ravindra Singh vs. The State of Uttarakhand through Home Secretary
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