NAGPUR: The Nagpur bench of Bombay high court has ruled that breaking off a relationship or refusing to marry does not constitute abetment of suicide under Section 306 of IPC. Delivering the judgment on Wednesday, Justice Urmila Joshi-Phalke discharged the accused, Vaibhav Mawale, who was charged after his former partner died by suicide in 2020.
The case involved the suicide of a woman from Buldhana district, allegedly driven by the accused’s decision to end their nine-year relationship. A suicide note left by the deceased detailed her emotional distress and the accused’s refusal to marry her. Following this, the woman’s father lodged a complaint, and a case of abetment of suicide was registered against Mawale under Section 306 IPC.
The court, however, dismissed the allegations, observing evidence did not support the charge. Justice Joshi-Phalke stated the relationship ended in July 2020, while she died by suicide five months later. The judge emphasised the “temporal gap between the two events negated any proximate connection between the accused’s actions and victim’s decision to take her life.”
Justice Joshi-Phalke observed, “Mere refusal to marry, even after a prolonged relationship, cannot be construed as abetment of suicide unless there’s concrete evidence of instigation or intentional aid to commit the act.”
The judgment clarified that emotional distress resulting from a breakup, while unfortunate, cannot automatically translate into criminal liability. The judge added that evidence indicated the woman remained in contact with the accused after their breakup, further weakening the claim of provocation.
