Mumbai: Simply putting pressure on a
person does not amount to abetment of suicide, High Court has
held acquitting a widowed woman and her relatives in a
criminal case regarding her husband`s suicide.
Mandakini Landge (20), her mother Hirabai Markad, and
her brother-in-law Bhausaheb Bhapse, all residents of Pathardi
taluka in Ahmednagar district, were facing trial for abetting
the suicide of Mandakini`s husband, Kiran Landage.
Kiran and Mandakini married in April 2008, and one
year later, on May 29, 2009, Kiran committed suicide by
consuming poison outside her father`s house in Madhi. Earlier,
he had said that he would commit suicide on the threshold of
Mandakini`s house.
As per the prosecution`s case, after Mandakini`s
father passed away sometime in 2008, she, alongwith her mother
and brother-in-law, started putting pressure on Kiran to shift
to her parent`s village, as there was nobody to tend to her
father`s farm.
However, Kiran was not willing to move from his house
in Pimpalgaon Landaga.
Soon thereafter, Mandakini became pregnant, and was
sent to her parents` house. Later, Kiran`s parents met with an
accident, so he requested Mandakini to return, but she
refused.
This situation apparently became unbearable for Kiran,
and according to prosecution, he told his parents that he
would go and die on the threshold of Mandakini`s house.
On May 29, he actually consumed poison, and reached
her house, where he was found dead.
Police booked Mandakini, her mother, and
brother-in-law for abetment of suicide upon the complaint
filed by Kiran`s family; against which the latter moved High
Court.
Justice A V Nirgude of Bombay High Court held that
even if the prosecution`s story was to be accepted fully, it
did not indicate that Mandakini and her family had `mens rea`
(intention) to cause Kiran`s death.
"...the petitioners by putting pressure on Kiran did
not commit any (criminal) act with mens rea," the High Court
held, quashing the criminal case.
PTI
