Sanjeev Sirohi
New Delhi, Feb 13 (KDC): Nearly three decades after being convicted for allegedly abetting his wife’s suicide, a man has been acquitted by the Supreme Court, which held that mere allegations of harassment or strained relations cannot sustain a conviction under Section 306 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The bench comprising Justice JK Maheshwari and Justice Aravind Kumar, while delivering the judgment in Ravindra Singh vs State of Uttarakhand (Criminal Appeal No. 1919 of 2013), ruled that there was no direct evidence linking the accused to the act of suicide committed by his wife in May 1997, reported news agency Kashmir Dot com
“Merely because there was some dispute between the parties by itself would not establish the act of abetment,” the court observed. It added that to convict someone for abetment to suicide, it must be shown beyond reasonable doubt that the accused had the mens rea (intention) to instigate or aid the commission of suicide.
Ravindra Singh was sentenced to seven years’ rigorous imprisonment by the trial court in 2001, which was later upheld by the Uttarakhand High Court in 2013. While three other co-accused – his brother, mother, and sister – were acquitted, Singh alone was convicted under Section 306 IPC.
According to the prosecution, the deceased died of burn injuries at her matrimonial home in Pangar village. Initially suspected to be a case of murder, the investigation later concluded it to be a suicide, allegedly abetted by the accused due to domestic disputes and an alleged extramarital affair. However, the court noted that these allegations could not be substantiated by either documentary evidence or witness testimonies.
The bench noted that the star witnesses – the deceased’s parents and brother – primarily spoke about past quarrels and did not provide conclusive evidence of instigation or provocation.
“On perusal of the evidence, it is not proved that the appellant had the intention to abet the commission of suicide… The prosecution has failed to prove the charge under Section 306 IPC beyond reasonable doubt,” the court held, while setting aside the conviction and allowing the appeal.
The court also directed that the appellant, who was already on bail, be acquitted, and that his bail bond stands discharged. (KDC)
