If the circumstances go wrong, your sacrifice for love can turn into a blame to kill your lover. Unleash the wrath of Suicide or Honor Killing.
A brief insight
In the present society we see many people committing suicide for reasons unknown to their family even and if these cases come in the light of the public, the reasons remain unidentified or not reported. Here is one such story where the cause of the suicide was assumed to have been a murder.
The role of Court
After so many judgments being laid down related to the cases of suicide and honor killing here is another unique judgment laid down by the Supreme Court which set aside the conviction and life sentence of a man who had unfortunately survived while committing suicide in order to preserve their love. A landmark case of Satish Nirankari v. State of Rajasthan proved that if the circumstances go wrong, your sacrifice for love can turn into a blame to kill your lover.
Two lovers, belonging to different castes, decide to end their lives by consuming poison. Both of them tried to do so by consuming copper sulphate, though the quantity taken by boy was lesser as compared to girl. They did so because the society and their blood relations refused to accept this pious feeling and they felt ending this god gifted life easier than surviving in this cruel world.
Unluckily boy survived in the suicide attempt, whereas girl died. After this boy was found guilty, both by the Trial Court as well as the High Court of Rajasthan for the offence of murder, under section 302 of Indian Penal Code and attempt to commit suicide under section 309 as he has agreed regarding the consumption of copper sulphate at a house in an under-construction building in Jaipur. The girl a hanging her, after consuming poison, led the courts to find boy guilty of murder.
However that convinced the trial court that they did so as the girls family was not agreeing to their marriage. He also added that after consuming copper sulphate girl’s health deteriorated and he tried his best to seek help from neighbors, but found her hanging when he returned. He rushed her to the hospital but destiny has already decided something else and she died on the way.
The Supreme Court, however, found him non guilty as the threat by their families could be seen and they have been left with no option rather than suicide. The top court noted that the woman might have first unwillingly agreed to go by her parents wish but later she apparently changed her mind as garlands, bangles and vermilion at the place of incident were found. It was further observed that the woman might have told her lover that due to resistance from her family, she would not marry him.
The court noted that the victim and the accused were in love with each other and the woman’s father had testified in the court that due to caste differences, his family had refused to give their nod to the couple for marriage.
The Supreme Court bench of Justice A.K Sikiri and Ashok Bhushan observed that criminal cases cannot be decided on the basis of hypothesis and acquitted the man holding that the prosecution has not been able to prove his guilt beyond reasonable doubt.