The offence of abetment of suicide under Section 306 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) should not be invoked mechanically to harass accused persons and assuage feelings of distraught families of those who have died by suicide, the Supreme Court said on Friday.
A Bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and KV Viswanathan said the investigating agencies should be sensitised in such cases so that the accused are not harassed.
Further, trial courts should not mechanically frame charges in such matters, the Bench orderex.
“The Section cannot be invoked only to assuage feelings of the distraught family and it cannot be divorced from day to day realities of life. Investigation agencies should be sensitised about judgments on Section 306 so that accused are not harassed and trial courts should also not mechanically frame charges in such cases,” the Court held.
The threshold to prove charges under Section 306 is higher, the Bench underscored.
Story to be updated.Justices Abhay S Oka and KV Viswanathan
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