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2025 Supreme(Guj) 901

IN THE HIGH COURT OF GUJARAT AT AHMEDABAD
J.C. DOSHI, J.
Bharatbhai Virsangbhai @ Virchandbhai Barot - Appellant 
Versus 
State of Gujarat and Another - Respondents
Criminal Misc. Application (For Quashing & Set Aside Fir/Order) No. 15069 of 2020
Decided On : 04-04-2025

Advocates:
Advocate Appeared:
For the Appellants : Piyush Trivedi, Pratik B. Barot
For the Respondents: Parthiv A. Bhatt, Manan Mehta

To establish abetment of suicide, clear instigation must be proven; mere financial disputes do not suffice.

Headnote:

(A) Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 - Section 482 - Indian Penal Code, 1860 - Sections 306 and 107 - Quashing of FIR - Petitioner sought to quash FIR for abetment of suicide, claiming no instigation was present - Court found no essential ingredients of abetment established in the FIR - The suicide notes indicated no positive act by the petitioner that led to the deceased's suicide - The FIR was filed five months post-incident, suggesting deliberation - Court emphasized that mere financial disputes do not constitute instigation for suicide. (Paras 1, 4, 9, 10, 15, 16)

(B) Abetment of Suicide - To establish abetment, there must be clear instigation or encouragement leading to the act - The court highlighted that the prosecution failed to prove any act by the petitioner that could be construed as instigation. (Paras 9, 10)

(C) Judicial Precedents - The court referred to previous judgments emphasizing that not every suicide necessitates abetment and that the circumstances surrounding the deceased are crucial. (Paras 12, 14)

Facts of the case:
The petitioner was accused of abetting the suicide of an individual who left behind multiple suicide notes indicating financial disputes but no direct instigation from the petitioner.

Findings of Court:
The court found that the FIR did not disclose any cognizable offence against the petitioner and quashed the FIR.

Issues: The main issues were whether the FIR disclosed any ingredients of abetment under IPC Sections 306 and 107 and whether the delay in filing the FIR affected its validity.

Ratio Decidendi: The court ruled that the prosecution must prove instigation for abetment, which was not established in this case, leading to the conclusion that the FIR was baseless.

Result: Petition allowed; FIR quashed.

ORDER :

(J.C. DOSHI, J.)

1. By way of this application under Section 482 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (hereinafter referred to as ”the Code”), the petitioner has prayed for quashing and setting aside FIR being C.R.No.I – 11192061200541 registered with Viramgam Station, for the offences punishable under Sections 306, 114 of the IPC as well as all other consequential proceedings arising out of the aforesaid FIR qua the petitioner herein.

2. Brief facts of the case are as under:-

3. That on 21.03.2020, the day on which, the deceased resorted to commission of suicide, his nephew first informant now lodges an FIR as on the strength of two sets of suicide notes-cum-writings found from the pocket of the deceased as also from his house inter-alia alleging that the present applicant and other accused persons who were either agents or under the administration of Jeevan Rekha Saving Scheme, there were investments made through various agents like deceased which on a maturity date since administrators of Jeevan Rekha Saving Scheme were approached by the agents like deceased in order to the return the maturity amount to a given investor, it is alleged that in a monthly recurring account so maintained through agents like deceased, as and when administrators i.e. original accused Nos.1 and 2 were approached as on behalf of an individual investor, payments were not released rather instead false assurances were given by the co- accused persons so as to release the amount but because at the end no payment was released despite making limited attempts by the deceased as an agent working at Viramgam, on account of pressure exerted by individual investors who had invested into the scheme through the deceased, he could not bear the pressure exerted and resorted to commission of suicide by hanging himself with a tree near his house resulting into now registration of a case of Section 306 of the Indian Penal Code against the accused persons.

4. Learned advocate for the petitioner referring to the FIR in question would submit that the minor dispute has entailed in major result of suicide by the deceased. He would further submit that according to the FIR, no ingredients of offences u/s 107 and 306 of the IPC are made out. He would further submit that from the FIR, no positive action from the petitioner is found, which prompted the deceased to commit suicide. He would further submit that the FIR is also filed belatedly, after 05 months of the incident which indicates that the FIR is filed after due deliberation and consultation and designed to implicate the accused for the offence under section 306 of the IPC. He would further submit that against the similarly situation accused persons, the FIR with consent is quashed by this Court and therefore, on the ground of parity, present petition deserves consideration.

5. The above submission is made by learned advocate for the petitioner to allow the petition.

6. Per contra, learned advocate appearing for the complainant would submit that since the petitioner has approached this court under section 482 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 to quash the FIR at threshold, in absence of the investigation in regards to the office, it cannot be said that there is no instigation which prompted the deceased to commit suicide. He would further submit that the police has not formed any opinion whether the offence under section 306 of the IPC is made out or not. Upon such submission, he request to dismiss the petition.

7. Learned APP, adopting the argument of learned advocate Mr Dave, requests to pass necessary order.

8. What could be noticed that there are five suicide notes found from the deceased. Out of suicide notes, in 3rd suicide note, the only reference of the petitioner is found to the effect that though the financial disputes have been informed to the petitioner, he has not done anything. The other allegation against the petitioner is that he has conveyed the deceased to join as an Agent in the company in qu

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