Madras HC Upholds Abetment Conviction Over Online Blackmail Suicide, Drops Rape Charge
The Madras High Court has upheld the conviction of a man for abetting the suicide of his cousin, a 21-year-old college student, who died after being blackmailed with threats to expose her private social media conversations and intimate messages. However, the court acquitted him of rape, stating that the allegation of sexual assault was not proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
Justices N Anand Venkatesh and K K Ramakrishnan, hearing appeals against a trial court verdict, confirmed the ten-year rigorous imprisonment sentence for abetment of suicide under Section 306 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The court found that continuous intimidation and mental harassment by the cousin drove the woman to take her own life in 2021.
According to the prosecution, the third-year BSc Mathematics student was in a relationship and regularly communicated with her partner via mobile phone and Instagram. Her cousin allegedly accessed her private messages and intimate material after entering her house on the pretext of New Year wishes in the early hours of January 1, 2021. He threatened to make the content public, and later, another man also joined in intimidating her.
The woman died by suicide, and a note recovered by her parents implicated the cousin. The trial court had convicted him under Sections 376 (rape) and 306 (abetment of suicide), sentencing him to life imprisonment for rape and ten years for abetment. The other accused was convicted under Section 306 and sentenced to ten years. Both appealed.
The high court relied on the suicide note, which was verified by a handwriting expert, call detail records, and recovery of the victim's mobile phone from the first accused. The bench noted that the suicide note clearly indicated the deceased was under constant fear and mental pressure due to threats. However, regarding the rape charge, the court said it lacked independent medical and forensic evidence, as the allegation rested largely on the suicide note alone.
The judgment, delivered on June 11, underscores the importance of corroborative evidence in sexual assault cases while affirming that sustained psychological coercion can constitute abetment of suicide.
