In Brief
A widow's death within seven years of marriage triggered a statutory presumption under Section 113-A of the Indian Evidence Act when her husband was found guilty of cruelty under Section 498 IPC. However, the Supreme Court held that cruelty alone does not automatically prove abetment of suicide under Section 306 IPC. Conviction under Section 306 requires independent proof of a direct nexus—through instigating or creating circumstances—between the accused's conduct and the suicide. The court upheld conviction under Section 498-A but set aside conviction under Section 306, holding that a two-month time gap between the alleged cruelty and suicide was too distant to establish causation.
The lawyer headnote and full judgment text are available to registered users.