In Brief
Rajesh was convicted under Section 306 IPC (abetment to suicide) for allegedly harassing his brother-in-law Arvind, who died by suicide in February 2002. The High Court upheld his conviction solely on the basis that Rajesh slapped Arvind during a Panchayat held five months earlier, while acquitting two co-accused on similar allegations. The Supreme Court allowed the appeal, holding that abetment to suicide requires positive action proximate to suicide, not remote harassment. A single slapping incident with a five-month gap cannot form the sole basis for conviction. The court noted inconsistency in convicting Rajesh while acquitting others on identical facts.
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