Woman scolded on street for affair commits suicide

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: A woman who was humiliated in public for having an affair with a married woman committed suicide. The wife and sister-in-law of her alleged paramour have been booked for abetment of suicide. The High Court has granted the two women anticipatory bail saving them from arrest.

The petition filed by the sisters, aged 23 and 26 came up for hearing before Justice TG Shivashankare Gowda. Both are from Chikkanayakanahalli taluk in Tumakuru district. A case for abetment of suicide against them is pending before the Judicial Magistrate First Class Court in Tumakuru. The two are accused numbers two and three in the case.

The main accused is the husband of the 23-year-old woman. Allegedly an other woman, aged 18, was in love with the husband of the second accused. After coming to know about it, the two sisters accosted the woman at around 9 AM on February 27, 2023 at the Huliyar Bus Stand.

The two sisters allegedly abused her and assaulted her on her head with their hands decrying that she was the mistress of the second accused’s husband. Being humiliated by the action of the two sisters, the woman committed suicide the same day between 4.30 and 5 PM at her home in a village in Chikkanayakanahalli.

Govt advocate flags serious concern

Approaching the HC for bail, the advocate for the two sisters argued that they had “no role to play in the suicide committed by the deceased, they only questioned the behavior of the deceased having illicit relationship with a married woman. That by itself is not suf fice to satisfy the ingredients of Section 107 (abetment of a thing) of IPC.” The court was also told that the two accused were young ladies and the accused number one was already in judicial custody.

The government advocate argued that the matter was of very serious concern as the death of the deceased had a direct nexus with the quarrel that took place the same day between her and the accused. The HC in its judgment said that there was no prima-facie case against the two sisters.

“What transpired in the morning at 9.00 am till 4.30-5.00 pm is not forthcoming from the prosecution papers except a petty quarrel, the petitioners were involved, which, in the facts and circumstances of the case, is not sufficient to say that there is a prima-facie case against the petitioners,” it said. The Court said it was natural for a wife to be upset if her husband had an illicit relationship.

“Naturally, a wife on coming to know about the illicit relationship of her husband with an unknown lady will question the said conduct, however, that itself is not suffice to satisfy the ingredients of the offence punishable under Section 107 of IPC, so as to hold that they have committed prima facie offence punishable under Section 306 read with Section 34 of IPC.

Even the offence under Section 306 of IPC attracts punishment of imprisonment for 10 years and fine. Since accused No.1 has already been arrested and in judicial custody, the petitioners being young ladies, it is not proper to keep them inside the prison as pre-trial conviction,” the HC said. The two sisters were granted anticipatory bail on condition of executing a personal bond fo r Rs.1,00,000 each.