MP High Court Quashes Abetment-to-Suicide Charge Over Loan Repayment Dispute

Overview

• Justice Pushpendra Yadav held that demanding repayment or keeping a borrower's motorcycle does not, by itself, amount to instigating suicide.
• The court allowed petitioner Rinku Lodha’s revision (CRR-13-2023) and set aside the lower-court order under Section 306 IPC.
• The bench emphasized that abetment requires intent and an overt act leaving the victim with no reasonable alternative but to take their life.
• According to the case diary, the deceased died by hanging on September 13, 2022 after borrowing Rs 1 lakh, with relatives alleging pressure for repayment and retention of his motorcycle.
• Reports differ on whether the trial court had framed charges or recorded a conviction, but the High Court’s ruling removes the Section 306 allegation.