Demand for loan repayment does not constitute abetment of suicide under IPC; instigation requires clear evidence of incitement.

ORDER :

The present revision petition is filed under Section 401/397 of Cr.P.C. whereby a charge under Section 306 of IPC has been framed by Additional Sessions Judge, Ujjain in ST No.36/2014 by order dated 01.02.2014.

2. Prosecution case is that police has registered case under Section 306 of IPC on the fact that on date of incident, applicants demanded money lent by them due to which deceased committed suicide. After investigation police filed charge-sheet before the learned trial Court and the trial Court framed the charges under Section 306 of IPC.

3. Counsel for the applicant submits that the demand of refund of loan amount does not amount to abettment under Section 107 of IPC and, therefore, charge under Section 306 of IPC ought to have not been framed by the trial Court.

4 . Counsel for the State submits that the prosecution case based on suicide note and apart from demanding the loan amount the applicants have also kept his vehicle in their possession and did not pay the rent to him and, therefore, the deceased had no option, but to commit suicide.

5. The Apex Court in the case of Chitresh Kumar Chopra Vs.State of (Govt of NCT of Delhi) reported in 2009 (16) SCC 605, Shabbir Hussain Vs. State of MP in SLP (Cri) No.7284/2017, Amalendu Pal Vs. State of West Bangal reported in (2010) 1 SCC 707, Rajesh Vs. State of MP in CRR No.3155/2011 decided on 09.07.2019, held that there is no evidence regarding instigation which is one of the most important ingredient under section 107 of the IPC to constitute the offence under section 306 of IPC and set aside the charge under section 306 of the IPC.

6. Section 107 of the IPC makes it obligatory for the prosecution to show and establish the elements of instigation. The Apex Court in the case of Sanju @ Sanjay Singh Sengar V/s. State of M.P., AIR 2002 SC 1998 has opined as under:-

8. Even if we accept the prosecution story that the appellant did tell the deceased to go and die, that itself does not constitute the ingredient of instigation the word instigate denotes incitement or urging to do some drastic or inadvisable action or to stimulate or incite. Presence of mens rea, therefore, is the necessary concomitant o f instigation. It is common knowledge that the words uttered in a quarrel or on the spur of the moment cannot be taken to be uttered with mens rea it is in a fit of anger and emotion.

7. In the case of Sanju @ Sanjay (supra) the accused allegedly told the deceased "to go and die" yet Apex Court opined that it does not constitute the ingredient of "instigation". In the instant case, if story of the prosecution is read and believed as such, it would be clear that the appellants did not in any manner instigate the deceased to commit suicide. There is no element of "incitement" or "instigation" on their behalf. Thus, Section 306 of the IPC is not attracted against the appellants.

8. The ancillary question is whether their acts fall within the ambit of Section 306 of the IPC. In Gangula Mohan Reddy V/s. State of Andhra Pradesh (2010) 1 SCC 750, the Apex Court opined as under :-

17. Abetment involves a mental process of instigating a person or intentionally aiding a person in doing of a thing. Without a positive act on the part of the accused to instigate or aid in committing suicide, conviction cannot be sustained. The intention of the legislature and the ratio of the cases decided by this Court is clear that in order to convict a person under Section 306 IPC there has to be a clear mens rea to commit the offence. It also requires an active act or direct act which led the deceased to commit suicide seeing no option and this act must have been intended to push the deceased into such a position that he committed suicide.

9. The principle flowing from this judgment is that the overt act of accused person must be of such a nature where the victim had no option but to commit suicide. Even assuming that the appellants mounted pressure upon the deceased to repay the Bank defalcated amount, this