Verbal Abuse and Beating Alone Not Abetment of Suicide: Conviction Under Section 306 IPC Set Aside By Andhra Pradesh HC

The Andhra Pradesh High Court set aside a conviction under Section 306 IPC, ruling that verbal humiliation and physical assault, without direct instigation, do not amount to abetment of suicide. The deceased’s husband and brother-in-law had allegedly beaten and insulted her over suspected infidelity the night before she set herself on fire. In her dying declaration, she said they asked why she should live, which led her to commit suicide. However, the Court held that a single instance of abuse cannot establish intent to provoke suicide. It found no evidence of the accused goading or instigating the act. Justice Y. Lakshmana Rao ruled that the deceased was hypersensitive and there was no mens rea. The Court noted that Section 306 IPC requires a positive act that leaves the victim no choice but to commit suicide. As there was no such act, the conviction was not legally valid. Referring to key judgments, the Court stressed that mere insults, however hurtful, do not establish criminal abetment. The revision petition was allowed, and the conviction was quashed.