Delhi HC Grants Bail in Abetment of Suicide Case, Cites ‘Love Failure’ Not Ground for Accountability

The Delhi High Court ruled that a woman and her friend cannot be held accountable for a man's suicide over a "love failure," granting them anticipatory bail in a case from 2023.

Delhi High Court

The Aryavarth Express
Agency(New Delhi): The Delhi High Court has issued a significant judgment, granting anticipatory bail to two individuals, a woman and her friend, implicated in an abetment to suicide case from 2023. The court stated that a person cannot be held responsible for another’s suicide stemming from personal setbacks like “love failure.”

Justice Amit Mahajan, while delivering the judgment, emphasized that unfortunate outcomes such as a lover’s suicide, a student’s due to academic failure, or a client’s over legal disappointments should not automatically implicate their partners, educators, or lawyers in abetting these acts. The ruling came in response to allegations that the woman and the man, who were previously in a relationship, and their mutual friend provoked the deceased by informing him of their intimate relationship and forthcoming marriage plans.

According to the deceased’s suicide note, his drastic decision was driven by despair over the relationship’s outcome with the woman. However, the court noted that there was no substantial evidence in the note that suggested the alleged behavior of the applicants was sufficiently severe to push a stable individual towards suicide.

Further examination of the case, including WhatsApp conversations, indicated that the deceased had a fragile disposition and had repeatedly threatened suicide when the woman ceased communication with him. The court concluded that these threats did not translate into a direct incitement of his eventual suicide.

Given the context, the court ruled that custodial interrogation of the suspects was unnecessary for the investigation’s progress and thus granted them bail. It stipulated that they must fully cooperate with ongoing inquiries and warned that bail could be revoked if conditions are violated.

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