'Mere illicit relations' couldn't have instigated wife's suicide: Court

A man and his relative have been acquitted by a Delhi court of charges of harassing and abetting the suicide of his wife on the ground that "mere illicit relations" between the two accused could not have instigated the victim to hang herself.

Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) J R Aryan freed the victim's husband and her sister-in-law, who were accused of committing cruelty upon her by allegedly having illicit relations, after witnesses did not support the police story.

"Material witnesses have not supported the charge for the offence of abettment to suicide. Even otherwise mere illicit relations between two accused could not have fallen to the category of instigation amounting to abetting suicide by deceased unless there was an evidence suggesting conduct of accused had provoked act," the court said.

The court also acquitted North East Delhi residents Vijay Kumar Thakur and Munni Devi of the charges of destroying the evidence by burning the rope, which victim Reena had used to hang herself, to shield them from the punishment.

According to prosecution, the victim had hanged herself in her matrimonial house in February 2009 after being allegedly harassed by her husband of two years and sister-in-law.

Police had booked both the accused for abetting victim's suicide by their alleged act of illicit relation between them.

The court let off the accused after witnesses, including the father of the victim, failed to support the prosecution story.

The father turned hostile and told the court that he had not told the SDM that Thakur was having an illicit relation with Devi and also that his daughter had never given any complaint against any of her in-laws.

ALSO READ

I-T dept detects Rs 7 cr tax evasion in transactions of Nitin Gadkari's Purti group

Govt's pre-fixation with PPP not good for infrastructure: Parliamentary Panel

Railway bribery case: Nephew rose from obscurity, worked behind the scenes

Civil Services Examination, 2012: Delhi student Stuti Charan bags third rank