‘Suicide within 7 yrs of marriage not always abetted by in-laws’

The Calcutta High Court overturned the conviction of a man accused of abetting his wife’s suicide, stating that the mere occurrence of suicide within seven years of marriage is insufficient to trigger the presumption of abetment. The court highlighted the need for concrete evidence indicating cruelty by the accused. The accused husband argued that most witnesses were declared hostile during the trial and there was no substantial evidence to support the conviction, which the High Court concurred with. The court criticized the trial judge for engaging in guesswork regarding the cause of torture.