Punjab and Haryana High Court acquits stepmother in teen’s death, says ‘go and die’ remark not abetment
Conviction in 2003 case set aside after 22 years; Punjab and Haryana High Court finds no proof that girl’s death was suicide, or that stepmother instigated it.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has acquitted a woman previously convicted for abetting the suicide of her teenage stepdaughter.
Allowing the woman’s appeal, Justice Rupinderjit Chahal set aside her conviction in the 2003 case, holding that the prosecution failed to establish either that the girl’s death was a suicide or that the stepmother instigated it. The girl belonged to a village in Haryana’s Mahendragarh district.
After her mother’s death, the girl had been brought up by maternal relatives in Rajasthan before moving to live with her father and stepmother.
According to the prosecution, the teenager telephoned her maternal relatives on July 6, 2003, expressing distress and alleging immoral advances by her father. She reportedly said she feared for her life. The following day, when her maternal uncle reached the village, he learnt that the girl had died and that her body had already been cremated without informing them or the police.
The maternal uncle filed a complaint on July 12, 2003, leading to registration of an FIR under Sections 306 (abetment of suicide), 354 (outraging modesty), and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence) read with Section 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code.
In October 2004, the trial court convicted both the father and the stepmother. The father was sentenced to seven years’ rigorous imprisonment for abetment of suicide and one year for outraging modesty, while the stepmother was awarded seven years’ rigorous imprisonment for abetment.
During the pendency of the appeal, the father died in August 2022, and the proceedings against him abated. The appeal continued only with respect to the stepmother, who was represented by Advocate Nikhil Ghai.
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The high court pointed to multiple gaps in the prosecution’s case.
No post-mortem examination was conducted on the body, despite the allegation that the girl had consumed poison. Ashes and partially burnt bones recovered from the cremation ground were later sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory, but the report did not detect any poison.
The complainant himself admitted during cross-examination that he did not know the exact cause of his niece’s death and suggested that it could have been due to poison consumption or even murder.
The court emphasised that a conviction under Section 306 of the IPC requires the prosecution to first establish beyond a reasonable doubt that the deceased died by suicide. In the absence of medical or scientific evidence, suicide could not be presumed merely on suspicion.
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Even if suicide were assumed for the sake of argument, the court held that the ingredients of abetment under Section 107 of the IPC were not made out against the stepmother.
The only allegation against her was that when the teenager complained about her father’s conduct, the stepmother allegedly said that if she felt ashamed, she could ‘go and die’.
The court held that such a statement, even if accepted, amounted at best to a stray remark and did not demonstrate the intention, sustained harassment, or direct nexus required to establish abetment of suicide.
Justice Chahal also noted that there was no independent witness to corroborate the alleged remark and nothing to show that the stepmother deliberately intended to drive the girl to take her life.
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The judgment referred to the Supreme Court ruling in ‘Sanju @ Sanjay Singh v. State of Madhya Pradesh’ (2002), where words like “go and die” spoken during a quarrel were held insufficient to constitute abetment of suicide without proof of intention and a direct link to the act.
Delay in lodging FIR
The high court also noted an unexplained six-day delay in lodging the FIR, which raised doubts about possible embellishment of the allegations.
Defence witnesses stated that the father had informed the girl’s maternal relatives by phone on the evening of her death and again the following morning, and that they had permitted the cremation. This contradicted the prosecution’s claim that the death had been concealed.
The court concluded that the trial court’s findings were based on moral suspicion rather than legally admissible proof.
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Holding that the prosecution had failed to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt, the Punjab and Haryana High Court extended the benefit of doubt to the stepmother and set aside her conviction and sentence.
Manraj Grewal Sharma is a senior journalist and the Resident Editor of The Indian Express in Chandigarh, where she leads the newspaper’s coverage of north India’s most politically and institutionally significant regions. From Punjab and Haryana to Himachal Pradesh and the Union Territory of Chandigarh, she oversees reporting at the intersection of governance, law, politics and society. She also reports on the diaspora, especially in Canada and the US.
With a career spanning journalism across several countries, academia and international development, Manraj brings a rare depth of perspective to regional reporting. She is widely regarded as a leading chronicler of Punjab’s contemporary history and socio-political evolution, particularly its long shadow of militancy, federal tensions and identity politics. Her book, Dreams after Darkness, remains a definitive account of the militancy years and their enduring aftermath.
Professional Background & Expertise
A gold medalist in mass communication and a post-graduate in English literature, Manraj has a multifaceted career spanning journalism, academia, and international development. She was also awarded a fellowship by National Foundation of India and did several in-depth pieces on Manipur. Internationally, she has reported from Israel, US, UK, Myanmar, and Mauritius
Her key focus areas include:
Regional Politics, History, Agriculture, Diaspora, and Security. Of late, she has started focusing on Legal & Judicial Affairs: Much of her recent work involves reporting on high-stakes cases in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, ranging from environmental policy to civil rights.
International Consulting: She previously served as a consulting editor for the Asia Pacific Adaptation Network and a publishing consultant for the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Manila.
Academia: For five years, she was the managing editor of Gender, Technology and Development, a peer-reviewed international journal at the Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok.
Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025)
Her recent reportage focuses heavily on judicial interventions and regional governance:
1. Environment & Governance
"‘NGT can’t test legality of policy’: HC hears challenge to Punjab’s ‘Green Habitat’ plan" (Dec 22, 2025): Covering a critical legal battle over whether the National Green Tribunal has the authority to strike down a state policy regularizing farmhouses on delisted forest land.
"High court pulls up Punjab poll panel over audio clip probe" (Dec 10, 2025): Reporting on judicial concerns regarding the transparency and fairness of local body elections.
2. Legal Rights & Social Welfare
"HC issues notice to Punjab, Haryana over delay in building old age homes" (Dec 22, 2025): Reporting on a contempt petition against top officials for failing to establish government-run homes for the elderly as promised in 2019.
"Victims can appeal acquittals in sessions court without seeking special leave" (Dec 19, 2025): Highlighting a significant procedural shift in criminal law following a Supreme Court ruling.
"HC upholds benefits for Punjab FCI officer acquitted in 20-year-old bribery case" (Dec 19, 2025): A report on the concept of "honourable acquittal" and its impact on employee benefits.
3. Human Rights & Identity
"As Punjab denies parole to MP Amritpal Singh, HC asks it to submit ‘foundational material’" (Dec 1, 2025): Covering the legal proceedings regarding the radical preacher and sitting MP's request to attend Parliament.
"Protecting life paramount: HC backs Muslim woman in live-in after verbal divorce" (Nov 6, 2025): Analyzing judicial protections for personal liberty in the context of traditional practices.
Signature Beats
Manraj is recognized for her ability to decode complex judicial rulings and relate them to the everyday lives of citizens. Whether it is a 30-year-old land battle in Fazilka or the political implications of Kangana Ranaut’s candidacy in Mandi, her writing provides deep historical and regional context.
Contact
@grewal_sharma on X
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