Mother, child die after falling into water sump in Bengaluru
In an incident reported from Bengaluru's Yelahanka New Town area on Thursday a mother and her child lost their lives after falling into a water sump.
The victims have been identified as Kavitha (30) and her son Pavan (6).
Kavitha, originally from Chendanuru in Gouribidanur taluk of Chikkaballapur, resided with her son in a rented accommodation in Sugappa Layout, Bengaluru. She worked as a domestic help in a nearby household to support herself and her son. Adjacent to the house where Kavitha worked, there was an empty plot containing a water sump, approximately 10 feet deep.
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The unfortunate incident occurred on Thursday, April 18th, when Kavitha went to her employer's residence for her usual work. Meanwhile, her son was playing outside and accidentally fell into the water sump. Upon noticing her child's plight, Kavitha rushed to the scene in an attempt to rescue him but tragically drowned alongside him.
Authorities have initiated legal action against the owner of the plot for negligence, and an investigation into the matter is currently underway, according to police sources.
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Broken relationships don't automatically amount to abetment of suicide: SC
New Delhi (PTI): Broken relationships, while emotionally distressing, do not automatically amount to abetment of suicide in the absence of intention leading to the criminal offence, the Supreme Court on Friday said.
The observations came from a bench of Justices Pankaj Mithal and Ujjal Bhuyan in a judgement, which overturned the conviction of one Kamaruddin Dastagir Sanadi by the Karnataka High Court for the offences of cheating and abetment of suicide under the IPC.
"This is a case of a broken relationship, not criminal conduct," the judgment said.
Sanadi was initially charged under Sections 417 (cheating), 306 (abetment of suicide), and 376 (rape) of the IPC.
While the trial court acquitted him of all the charges, the Karnataka High Court, on the state's appeal, convicted him of cheating and abetment of suicide, sentencing him to five years imprisonment and imposing Rs 25,000 in fine.
According to the FIR registered at the mother's instance, her 21-year-old daughter was in love with the accused for the past eight years and died by suicide in August, 2007, after he refused to keep his promise to marry.
Writing a 17-page judgement, Justice Mithal analysed the two dying declarations of the woman and noted that neither was there any allegation of a physical relationship between the couple nor there was any intentional act leading to the suicide.
The judgement therefore underlined broken relationships were emotionally distressing, but did not automatically amount to criminal offences.
"Even in cases where the victim dies by suicide, which may be as a result of cruelty meted out to her, the courts have always held that discord and differences in domestic life are quite common in society and that the commission of such an offence largely depends upon the mental state of the victim," said the apex court.
The court further said, "Surely, until and unless some guilty intention on the part of the accused is established, it is ordinarily not possible to convict him for an offence under Section 306 IPC.”
The judgement said there was no evidence to suggest that the man instigated or provoked the woman to die by suicide and underscored a mere refusal to marry, even after a long relationship, did not constitute abetment.
