Supreme Court Clarifies Scope of Abetment in Marriage Disapproval Cases

The Supreme Court ruled that disapproval of marriage doesn't constitute abetment to suicide under Section 306, IPC. A bench quashed charges against a woman accused of suicide abetment concerning her son's relationship. The court found no direct instigation or undue pressure on the deceased by the appellant.

The Supreme Court has issued a pivotal clarification on the boundaries of abetment to suicide, specifying that merely expressing disapproval of a marriage does not equate to abetment under Section 306 of the Indian Penal Code.

A bench consisting of Justices B V Nagarathna and Satish Chandra Sharma overturned a chargesheet against a woman accused of abetting the suicide of another woman involved romantically with her son. The defense underscored the absence of any substantive evidence linking the accused to the alleged abetment.

The court highlighted that the appellant's actions were too remote to support charges under Section 306 and emphasized the lack of coercive influence exerted by the appellant's family on the deceased. Notably, it was the deceased's own family expressing dissatisfaction over the relationship. The bench concluded that negative remarks alone fall short of constituting abetment.

(With inputs from agencies.)