Parmod KumarNew Delhi, Oct. 8 -- The Supreme Court has held that the breakdown of a relationship or refusal to marry, by itself, cannot justify prosecution for abetment of suicide merely because the other partner subsequently dies by suicide.
A bench comprising Justices J.B. Pardiwala and K. Vinod Chandran made the observation while quashing criminal proceedings against six accused, including the deceased woman's partner, his parents, sister and others, in a case from Telangana.
The court said there was no material to indicate that the accused had intended to push the woman towards suicide or knew that refusal to marry would lead to such a consequence. It observed that individuals may respond differently to the end of a relationship and t...