Broken relationship insufficient to charge man with abetment to suicide: Bombay HC
Nagpur: The Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court has ruled that a man cannot be held liable for abetting a woman’s suicide solely because their nine-year-long relationship ended. Discharging the man from the case, Justice Urmila Joshi-Phalke observed that a broken relationship, by itself, does not amount to abetment to commit suicide.
The court's decision on January 15 came after the man was accused of provoking the woman to take her life. However, Justice Joshi-Phalke noted that the evidence, including an extensive suicide note and WhatsApp messages, revealed that the relationship was consensual. "The physical relations between them were developed out of love and were consensual," she stated.
The court highlighted that there was no evidence suggesting the man provoked or instigated the woman. "Merely refusing to marry her does not constitute instigation. At most, the applicant can be said to have ended the relationship," the court remarked.
The judge also pointed out that the woman’s suicide was not an immediate consequence of the breakup. She explained that the relationship ended in July 2020, but the woman died by suicide in December 2020. "There is no proximity or direct connection between the breakup and her decision to take her life," Justice Joshi-Phalke said.
The court overturned the decision of the Sessions Court at Khamgaon, Buldhana district, which had earlier refused to discharge the man. The Sessions Court had considered the deceased’s father’s argument that the breakup caused his daughter significant emotional distress, as detailed in her suicide note.
In his defence, the accused argued that the relationship was consensual and that the deceased continued to contact him even after the breakup. He contended that his refusal to marry her could not be considered abetment. The High Court agreed with his arguments and quashed the lower court’s order.
Justice Joshi-Phalke concluded that without evidence of provocation or instigation, a broken relationship alone cannot form the basis for a charge of abetment to suicide.
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Woman duped of Rs 1.67 cr by cyber criminals over promise of share trade profits
Mumbai, Apr 3 (PTI): A 50-year-old woman was duped of Rs 1.67 crore by online fraudsters who promised her high returns from share trading and IPO subscriptions, a police official said on Thursday.
The woman, who is freelance consultant living in Lokhandwala Complex in Kandivali East, was duped between February 2 and March 14 this year, he added.
"On Wednesday, she approached North Region Cyber Police Station and lodged a complaint, after which a case was registered against four unidentified fraudsters. The woman has told police she is active on various social media platforms, including Instagram. On February 2, she received an advertisement of share trading with a link on Instagram," he said.
"She clicked the link and was added to a WhatsApp group. The accused claimed to be working in one TradeSmart company involved in share trading, block trading and IPO subscriptions. She deposited Rs 1.67 crore but later realised she had been cheated. A case was registered under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Information Technology Act," he added.
