The Uttarakhand High Court at Nainital, through Justice Ravindra Maithani, suspended both the conviction and sentence of an accused, convicted under Section 306 IPC (abetment of suicide) during the pendency of his appeal.
The accused, a PhD in Biotechnology from IIT Kharagpur and Senior Manager at Indian Immunologicals Limited, was found guilty by the Sessions Court, Rudrapur, in January 2025 for allegedly abetting the suicide of his wife. He had been acquitted under Sections 304-B IPC and the Dowry Prohibition Act. His wife died by suicide in December 2015 after returning to her parental home; a suicide note mentioned the accused as responsible for her death.
The High Court had earlier granted bail in April 2025 but had not suspended the conviction. In his plea for suspension, the accused emphasized that his conviction had resulted in his removal from critical vaccine R&D work an area of significant public health importance.
Relying on precedent from Rama Narang v. Ramesh Narang, (1995) 2 SCC 513 and Navjot Singh Sidhu v. State of Punjab, (2007) 2 SCC 574, the Court held that suspension of conviction is permissible in rare and exceptional cases, particularly where continuing disqualification would irreparably harm the individual or public interest. The Court agreed that accused’s involvement in vaccine development was of national relevance and allowed the suspension of both conviction and sentence pending appeal.
Appearances:
Mr. Harshit Sanwal, Advocate for the appellant.
Mr. V.S. Rawat, A.G.A. for the State of Uttarakhand.
