Man gets 5 yrs’ jail for abetting suicide

Mumbai: The Thane sessions court awarded five years’ rigorous imprisonment to a man who had tortured his live-in partner to such an extent that she committed suicide.

Additional sessions Judge R.V. Tamhanekar held the accused, Rakesh Baban Kumbhar, guilty under section 306 (abetment of suicide) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The court observed that “considering the nature of the offence, the accused should get to five years’ imprisonment”. It also noted that the “deceased was a victim of mental and physical cruelty, due to which she took her own life”.

According to the prosecution, the accused Kumbhar was already married and had a daughter. But a few years ago, he and the victim came in contact and their friendship soon turned into an affair.

Till the time the two met each other, he used to live with his family and the woman lived with her parents. After a few days, he promised to marry Gaikwad and they started living together at Diva in Thane district in 2016. However, when she asked Kumbhar about their marriage, he would evade her question, the prosecution told the court.

Meanwhile, he started doubting Gaikwad’s character and there would be heated arguments between the two over the issue. On November 27, 2016, the woman set herself on fire following an argument with Kumbhar. She suffered 90 per cent burns and died during treatment at a hospital. After perusing the post-mortem report, the witness’ testimony and other circumstantial evidence, the court awarded him five years’ jail with Rs 10,000 fine.