Justice Delayed: 36-Year-Old Abetment Case Ends

A man charged with abetting his wife's suicide in 1987 has been discharged by a court after 36 years due to lack of concrete evidence and witnesses. The court ruled that extending the case further was inappropriate, given the general allegations and the absence of the accused all these years.

A longstanding legal battle comes to a close as a court discharges a man accused of abetting his wife's suicide 36 years ago. The decision was made based on a lack of substantial evidence and difficulty in securing witness testimonies, according to the ruling by Additional Sessions Judge R B Rote.

The case, which began in 1987 following the suicide of Rita Sharma, alleged that her husband, Sukhdeo Sharma, was responsible for her death through ill-treatment. Despite the issuance of Non-Bailable Warrants, Sharma has remained untraceable, and the only available witness, the victim's brother, provided accusations deemed 'general' by the court.

In his decision, Judge R B Rote emphasized the 'oldness of the matter' and the lack of specific, actionable evidence. He stated that keeping the matter pending served no purpose and observed that the charges were primarily based on suspicion rather than any concrete proof of misconduct.

(With inputs from agencies.)