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The Delhi High Court has upheld the acquittal of a woman and her four brothers in a case involving allegations of abetment to the suicide of her husband.
Justice Neena Bansal Krishna, delivering the verdict on July 10, stated that criminal conviction demands clear, direct, and proximate evidence and the court found no act of instigation, provocation, or encouragement by the accused that could be linked to the deceased's decision to take his own life. The case traces back to April 2010, when husband, Vijay Singh, died by suicide, two years after his marriage to Urmila. A suicide note submitted by his father alleged mental harassment and threats of false dowry accusations by Urmila and her family. However, the court noted that the language used in the note was general and accusatory, lacking the specificity required to establish legal culpability. Importantly, the court questioned the timing of the note, observing that it might have been penned earlier, in a state of emotional turmoil, rather than immediately before the suicide. Allegations from Singh's family centred around claims that Urmila and her brothers had issued threats and subjected him to harassment. Yet, the High Court found these allegations to be vague, unsupported by concrete incidents or dates, and insufficient to sustain charges under Section 306 of the IPC, which pertains to abetment of suicide. During the trial, Singh's parents also testified to marital discord and alleged acts of cruelty by Urmila, including attempted self-harm. But the bench noted that these statements were suggestive of her own emotional distress, rather than evidence of any intentional conduct aimed at driving her husband to suicide. Concluding there was no "positive action" by the accused that directly contributed to the tragic outcome, the High Court dismissed the appeal against their acquittal. "In the absence of specific and immediate acts of instigation, the charges of abetment cannot be sustained," the court held. (ANI)
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