NEW DELHI: Holding that the surviving partner in a mutual suicide pact has to be punished for abetment, SC Tuesday upheld conviction of boyfriend of Telugu actress Pratyusha in her death case in 2002 as both of them had consumed poison together but he survived. Dismissing his plea challenging the conviction, the court directed G Siddhartha Reddy, to surrender within four weeks.
A bench of Justices Rajesh Bindal and Manmohan said a suicide pact involves mutual encouragement and reciprocal commitment to die together and the survivor’s participation acts as a direct catalyst for the deceased’s actions. “His participation directly facilitated the deceased’s suicide. Notably, it is not his defence that the deceased was the dominant personality who pressured him into the pact. His culpability therefore stands established”.
