Mumbai: Booked on charges of abetment to suicide, Anant Garje, personal assistant of environment minister Pankaja Munde, has moved the sessions court seeking bail following his arrest in connection with the death of his wife, Gauri, a dental surgeon.The defence submitted that the suicide was a result of Gauri’s personal emotional distress rather than any specific act by Garje, submitting that “mere marital discord does not constitute abetment”.“There is no mention of instigation, threat, or provocation by the accused. No message shows the accused telling her to die, leave life, harm herself, etc. Court repeatedly holds — a person’s internal hypersensitivity cannot be equated with abetment unless the accused created a no-escape situation,” the plea said.The plea further said that the FIR is a result of an afterthought and emotional distress after the tragic incident. “Earlier, no complaint was ever lodged by the deceased or her parents…,” the plea said. The special investigation team (SIT) continues to probe allegations of domestic cruelty. Garje’s defence argued that his continued incarceration is no longer legally justified.The plea said that the legal requirements for abetment of suicide under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) have not been met. The defence submitted that for a charge of abetment to stand, there must be evidence of active instigation or a direct act that leaves the victim with no alternative. The plea further said that Gauri was the proprietor of their family business, with all income deposited directly into her accounts. This, the defence argued , contradicted the narrative of financial or dowry-related harassment.“…[A]llegations made in the FIR are vague, omnibus, and lacking specific details regarding any date, place or act that could constitute instigation or participation in any manner. The entire case against the applicant is based merely on suspicion and assumptions without any substantive facts,” the plea said.
