In Brief
A driver died by suicide after allegedly discovering that his employer, a senior government officer (Special Land Acquisition Officer), had amassed unexplained wealth worth over Rs. 100 crores and had threatened him. The High Court quashed the FIR for abetment of suicide, finding the allegations inherently improbable and noting the deceased's normal behavior before his death. The Supreme Court allowed the complainant's appeal, holding that the High Court wrongly tested the veracity of allegations instead of applying the prima facie test under Section 482 CrPC. Accepting allegations at face value, they establish a case of abetment. The Court also rejected the notion that human behavior can be judged by one standard and emphasized that reactions to threats vary individually and are complex psychological matters.
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