“Complexities of Abetment: Karnataka High Court’s Ruling”Karnataka

The Karnataka High Court has recently ruled that the statement “go hang yourself” cannot be categorised as abetment to suicide.Karnataka High Court’s Justice M Nagaprasanna highlighted the complexity of determining abetment of suicide in cases involving contentious statements. This ruling came after a petition was filed against a man who was accused of abetting the suicide of a priest in a church in Udupi, coastal Karnataka.

The petitioner was accused of triggering the priest’s suicide by allegedly urging him to take his own life during a conversation about the priest’s alleged relationship with the petitioner’s wife. The defence counsel argued that the statement was made out of anguish upon discovering the alleged affair and that the priest’s decision to end his life was influenced by the affair becoming known to others, rather than solely by the accused’s words.

On the other hand, the opposing counsel contended that the priest took his own life due to the accused’s threatening language about exposing the affair. However, the single judge bench, drawing on precedents set by the Supreme Court, emphasised that such statements alone might not constitute abetment to suicide.

The court acknowledged that the priest’s suicide was multifaceted, and was influenced by various reasons, including the alleged illicit relationship he had despite his role as a father and priest. Taking into account the complexities of human psychology, the court underscored the challenge of deciphering the human mind and declined to categorise the accused’s statement as abetment to suicide.

As a result, the court quashed the case, emphasising the intricate nature of human behaviour and the inability to fully unravel the motivations behind such tragic incidents.