Mumbai(PTI): Suicide due to mental trauma after a break-up does not make for a case of abetment, a court here observed while acquitting a woman accused of abetting her former boyfriend's death.

It is "morally" incorrect to change partners as per one's whims and fancies, but there is no remedy under the penal law for the person facing rejection in a relationship, the court held.

Additional sessions judge N P Mehta made these observations on February 29 and acquitted Manisha Chudasama and her fiance Rajesh Panwar who were accused of abetting the suicide of Nitin Keni. Keni was found hanging in his house on January 15, 2016, and was rushed to a hospital where doctors declared him dead.

"Morally, it is incorrect to switch love partner at one's whims and fancies, but if one sees from the provision of penal law, no remedy lies with the victim whose partner has switched his or her love relationship with other on her/his choice," the judge observed.

The judge, in his order, said that to constitute abetment under 306 of the Indian Penal Code there should be active suggestion, instigation or encouragement on the part of the accused to push the deceased to commit suicide.

"A person gets emotionally broken if the partner to whom he loves breaks the relationship without any reason. If there are hard breaks in a love relationship and one partner commits suicide because of mental trauma would not bring his case under section 107 read with 306 of the IPC," the court added.

The prosecution had argued that Chudasama and Panwar had mentally tortured the victim driving him to suicide.

Keni was in a relationship with Chudasama, but she dumped him and got engaged to Panwar, they said.

The defence contended that Keni was stalking Chudasama and she had lodged a police complaint against him, but he persisted.

The court said that from the testimony of the prosecution, it appears that the deceased was "upset and mentally disturbed", and went into a depressive state of mind soon after he found out about Chudasama's relationship with Panwar.

Assuming Chudasama got engaged to Panwar after breaking up with Keni, the circumstance should not have caused him to take extreme steps, the court said.

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Gandhinagar: In what critics have termed a collective punishment, the Gujarat administration has demolished 186 commercial structures in Gandhinagar district’s Bahiyal village, allegedly belonging to individuals accused of participating in a communal clash during the recent Navratri celebrations.

The demolition, carried out on Thursday under heavy police deployment, followed a September 24 incident in which a social media post reportedly triggered tensions between communities, leading to stone pelting and property damage. Officials claimed that the razed establishments were “illegal constructions” linked to those involved in the violence.

According to Gandhinagar Superintendent of Police Ravi Teja Vasamsetty, the authorities identified the properties as part of an “encroachment removal drive.”

“Today, 186 business establishments in Dahegam taluka were demolished. We have identified illegal properties belonging to those involved in last month’s disturbances. Nearly 50 of the accused are habitual offenders,” he said.

Over 300 police personnel were deployed during the operation, which took place in the presence of sub-divisional magistrates and panchayat officials.

However, rights groups and local residents have raised serious concerns over the timing and intent of the demolition, arguing that it amounts to extra-judicial retribution targeting a particular community. Critics say such “bulldozer justice” bypasses due legal process and deepens existing fault lines instead of restoring peace.

The September 24 violence, which erupted over an objectionable social media post, had resulted in extensive damage to shops and vehicles. Police detained around 60 people, alleging that over 200 individuals were involved in the unrest.