Punjab and Haryana HC: Woman Can’t Be Forced to Marry Despite Intimate Relationship
The Punjab and Haryana High Court recently ruled that a woman cannot be compelled to marry even if she was in an intimate relationship with someone. The ruling came as Justice Gurbir Singh granted anticipatory bail to a woman accused of abetment of suicide under Section 306 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The case involved a young man who ended his life after the woman refused to marry him. The woman was booked on March 16 at a Ludhiana police station. After reviewing the case details, including the suicide note, Justice Singh observed that the woman and the deceased had an intimate relationship which later deteriorated. The woman’s family had reported the matter to the police, leading to a compromise on February 27.
Justice Singh noted, “From February 27 onwards and even before that, there was no intimacy left between the petitioner and the now-deceased Rahul. No overt act thereafter has been attributed to the petitioner. She is an unmarried girl, and no recovery is to be made from her. Custodial interrogation of the petitioner is not at all necessary.”
Referring to the suicide note, Justice Gurbir Singh stated that there was no indication that the petitioner had contact with the deceased after February 27. The gravity of the offense is a factor in deciding bail, but in this case, it was debatable whether the petitioner played any role in the suicide.
Given that the custodial interrogation of the petitioner was not required and considering her status as an unmarried girl, Justice Singh granted the anticipatory bail without delving into the merits of the case.
Case: The High Court Bench made the observation while hearing a case about a youth ending his life after a woman had refused to marry him. Justice Gurbir Singh granted anticipatory bail to the woman who had been booked on March 16 for abetment of suicide under Section 306 of the Indian Penal Code at a police station in Ludhiana.
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