Asking someone to ‘go and die’ not abetment of suicide: Karnataka High Court
Karnataka high court suicide case, Karnataka HC bail order: The Karnataka High Court granted bail to the husband, observing that the deceased’s suicide note had no mention of harassment and dowry demand.
2 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Nov 6, 2025 01:00 PM IST
Karnataka High Court suicide case: The Karnataka High Court granted bail to a man accused of his wife's death by suicide, observing that asking someone to 'go and die' does not amount to abetment of suicide.
Karnataka High Court suicide case: The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday ruled that merely asking someone to go and die does not amount to abetment of suicide, while granting bail to a man accused of his wife’s suicide.
Delivering the order, Justice Shivashankar Amarannavar said, “Mainly because the petitioner asking the deceased to go and die does not amount to abetment.”
The court also pointed out that there were no prior complaints by the deceased against her husband before she died by suicide.
Justice Amarannavar noted that the deceased’s suicide note did not mention any dowry demand and harassment by the husband.
Additional state public prosecutor Pushpalatha B argued that the deceased left a death note.
Pushpalatha also pointed out that her landlady’s statement suggested the deceased was unhappy with the marriage and that her husband often told her to go and die, indicating abetment to suicide.
Arguing on behalf of the husband, advocate Mahesh S contented that the marriage was a love-cum-arranged marriage without any dowry demand. However, the deceased was of a ‘sensitive mind and unhappy with marriage’.
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The husband was charged with abetment of suicide of his wife under Sections 3 and 4 of the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961 and Sections 80(2) and 85 of The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, who died in her rented house in 2025.
Sections 3 and 4 of the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961 provide for a penalty for taking, giving, or demanding dowry. Whereas Sections 80(2) and 85 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 are concerned with punishment for subjecting a woman to cruelty and dowry death, respectively.
The deceased married in November 2023 and was living with her husband. A death note was found after her death, however, it had no allegations of dowry demand and harassment.
The court ordered the husband to attend criminal proceedings in the trial court and cooperate for the speedy disposal of the case.
Richa Sahay is a Legal Correspondent for The Indian Express, where she focuses on simplifying the complexities of the Indian judicial system. A law postgraduate, she leverages her advanced legal education to bridge the gap between technical court rulings and public understanding, ensuring that readers stay informed about the rapidly evolving legal landscape.
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