Mumbai: Three family members acquitted in Thane suicide abetment case

Representational Pic

A sessions court in Maharashtra's Thane district has acquitted three members of a family who had been accused of abetting the suicide of a man allegedly over a property dispute, according to PTI.

Additional Sessions Judge Amit M Shete pronounced the verdict on 23 April, acquitting Jatin Surendra Rathod (44), Madhumatiben Surendra Rathod (64), and Mukund Surendra Rathod (41) of charges under Section 306 of the Indian Penal Code, which pertains to abetment of suicide. A copy of the court's order was made available on Monday, PTI reports.

The case stemmed from the suicide of Arvindbhai Bhanjibhai Panchal, who hanged himself at his residence in Mira Road on 6 March 2016. Following his death, Panchal's wife filed a complaint alleging that her husband had faced mental harassment from the accused individuals, primarily due to being denied his share of the family properties.

However, during the course of the trial, the prosecution's case weakened significantly. The court observed that two of the five original accused had passed away during the proceedings, leading to the abatement of charges against them.

Furthermore, the prosecution struggled to maintain its case after the complainant, the deceased's elder son, and a sister-in-law failed to support the allegations during their examination and cross-examination. In fact, the son of the deceased conceded in court that the dispute over property was not the reason behind his father's drastic action.

Judge Shete, in his detailed ruling, stated that the prosecution had failed to meet the burden of proof required to establish the offence of abetment. Without concrete or incriminating evidence linking the accused to the suicide, the court found no basis to convict them.

The judgment emphasised that the benefit of doubt must necessarily go to the accused in a criminal trial when the prosecution is unable to establish guilt beyond reasonable doubt.

Accordingly, Jatin, Madhumatiben, and Mukund Rathod were acquitted of all charges relating to abetment of suicide.

18-year-old boy drowns in Thane lake

An 18-year-old boy drowned while swimming with his friends in a lake in Maharashtra's Thane city, an official said on Monday.

The teenager's body was recovered from the Rayladevi Lake in the Wagle Estate area after hours of search and rescue efforts, he said.

Sahil Ghorpade, a resident of Sathenagar, had gone swimming with his friends on Sunday evening, said Yasin Tadvi, chief of the civic disaster management cell.
He drowned due to the unpredictable depth and water levels, he said.

The official said teams from the disaster management cell, police personnel, fire department staff with an emergency tender and rescue vehicle, and an ambulance rushed to the scene and the body was fished out in the wee hours of Monday.

(With inputs from PTI)