Morbi man gets 10 years for abetting wife’s suicide

RAJKOT: A Morbi sessions court has sentenced one Dharmendra alias Raju Popat (46) to 10 years in prison for abetting the suicide of his wife, Lalita. Sessions judge P V Shrivastav acquitted three co-accused — Dharmendra's mother Ranjan, brother Rahul, and sister Chandni — giving them the benefit of the doubt.According to the case details, Dharmendra and Lalita had a love marriage. On May 26, 2018, Lalita died after jumping in the path of a train, near Navlakhi Road. Her brother filed a police complaint alleging she was being harassed because the couple had no children.Public prosecutor Vijay Jani told the court that one day before her death, Lalita had filed a complaint at the Mahila police station in Morbi, accusing Dharmendra of harassment.

He also argued that Dharmendra was involved with another woman and wanted to marry her, which drove Lalita to end her life.The defence alleged the case was motivated by the victim's family's opposition to the marriage, but could not substantiate the claim. Dharmendra was convicted under Indian Penal Code Sections 306 (abetment of suicide) and 498 (cruelty by husband).