Practical Approach Key in Suicide Abetment Cases: SC

The Supreme Court on Friday called for a practical approach in dealing with cases of abetment to suicide as it noticed a casual approach by police and courts to readily resort to punishing people under this offence without considering the day-to-day realities of life.

- Abraham Thomas

NEW DELHI:

The court made the comments while discharging a Madhya Pradesh resident who was charged under Section 306 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) which punishes abetment to suicide with a maximum sentence of 10 years. The petitioner Mahendra Awase was arrested in 2022 after a victim named him in his suicide note. Awase had extended a loan and the deceased stood guarantee for it. The man died by suicide on October 10, 2022, over alleged harassment by the petitioner.

In the case at hand, the court, after going through the evidence, stood convinced that there was no instigation that could attract a case against the accused under Section 306.

Addressing a larger issue arising from this case, the bench of justices Abhay S Oka and KV Viswanathan said, "Section 306 IPC appears to be casually and too readily resorted to by the police."