'Be careful in cases of abetment to suicide, police need to be sensitized'; Supreme Court's comment

The Supreme Court on Friday said that a case of abetment to suicide should not be registered under Section 306 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) only because the relatives of the deceased are emotionally broken. The court said that the police need to be very cautious and sensitive in this matter so that no false case is filed against an innocent.

A bench of Justice Abhay S. Oka and Justice K.V. Vishwanathan said that the investigating agencies should ensure that no person is harassed under baseless allegations. The bench said, Section 306 of the IPC should not be misused. The police use this section very quickly. However, in cases where this section has actually been violated, the accused should not be let off. But it should not be imposed only under emotional pressure from the (deceased's) family.

The court also said that the conversation between the accused and the deceased, their relatives, and the conversation between them should be seen from a practical point of view. The court also said that the words spoken in the conversation should not be seen as abetment to suicide without any apparent reason.