Decriminalize bid to commit suicide: PIL in high court

May 11, 2011,

Ten lakh Indians attempt suicide every year, out of which 274 do so every day. A majority of those who decide to end their lives are in their prime, below 44 years, when they could have contributed so much to society.Citing these figures, a PIL before the Delhi high court on Wednesday sought decriminalization of attempt to suicide, which is right now a criminal offence, punishable with imprisonment.A bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justice Sanjiv Khanna then sought the government's response on what steps it had taken till now on similar recommendations made by the Law Commission of India in its 2008 report."We would like to know what is the stand of the Centre as regards the recommendation of the law commission in its 210{+t}{+h} report to repeal the law which they have termed is anachronistic," the bench told central government standing counsel Jatan Singh. However, the court made it clear it was not acceding to any of the prayers made in the PIL, like striking down of section 309 of IPC. "The government may accept or reject any recommendation of the law commission. It is not for the court to issue any direction in this regard," the bench clarified, while seeking an affidavit in this regard from the Centre by July 5.The PIL filed by an NGO Mental Health Foundation informed HC it was engaged in dealing with mental illness for several years and had come to the conclusion that factors driving people to commit suicide are economic, emotional, social and personal. "It's more a manifestation of a diseased state of mind and, therefore, it's unfair to punish such persons who had already taken a decision to take the extreme step owing to something very disturbing," the petition added, seeking the court's intervention.Interestingly, the PIL on suicide also cited the recent remarks by the Supreme Court in its landmark decision on euthanasia where the apex court made a strong pitch for scrapping section 309 of IPC.