A Nadiad sessions court sentenced a married woman to five years in jail for abetting the suicide of a young man she was in a relationship with. The court found that she, along with others, mentally harassed and extorted money from the victim, pushing him to take his life.
GUJARAT: A sessions court in Kheda district, Gujarat, has sentenced Married Woman Jailed for five years in a 2021 case related to abetment to suicide. The case involves the death of a 27-year-old man who was allegedly in an extramarital relationship with the woman and was repeatedly harassed and extorted for money. The judgment was delivered on Thursday by the Nadiad Sessions Court.
The court convicted the accused woman, Kinjal Patel, under Section 306 of the Indian Penal Code, which deals with punishment for abetment to suicide. The prosecution established that the victim, Vishal Shankar Gohil, consumed poison at his residence in Nadiad town on September 14, 2021, due to severe mental pressure caused by the accused and her associates.
As per the prosecution case, Vishal Gohil was working as a labourer in a private company and lived in the same neighbourhood as Kinjal Patel. The two were allegedly in a relationship for more than a year. During this period, Kinjal, along with her husband Sachin Patel and another man identified as Jitendra alias Gopal Rana, allegedly blackmailed and mentally tortured Gohil.
Public Prosecutor P R Tiwari explained the prosecution’s stand and said:
“The police investigation had undoubtedly proven that the accused woman had been involved not only with the deceased but also with another man, Jitendra alias Gopal Rana. Later, along with her husband Sachin Patel and Rana, she blackmailed the victim and forced him to pay a sum of Rs 1.8 lakh in cash in small installments… Even though he paid the sum to the accused, they continued to harass him and blackmail him about his relationship with Kinjal.”
According to police records, despite paying the demanded amount of ₹1.8 lakh, the harassment did not stop. The victim continued to face constant pressure, threats, and emotional stress. Unable to bear the mental torture any longer, Gohil consumed poison at his home. He was immediately taken to the Nadiad civil hospital, where he died the next day while undergoing treatment.
A crucial piece of evidence in the case was a suicide note recovered from the victim. In the note, Gohil clearly named Kinjal Patel, her husband Sachin, and Jitendra alias Gopal Rana as responsible for his mental suffering. The prosecution told the court that the suicide note directly linked the accused to the victim’s decision to take his own life.
Gohil’s brother, Hardik, later filed a formal complaint at the Nadiad Town Police Station. The case was registered under IPC Section 306 for abetment to suicide and Section 114 for offence committed in the presence of an abettor. Although all accused were arrested during the investigation, they were granted bail at a later stage. After the conviction on Thursday, Kinjal Patel was taken into custody by the authorities.
The public prosecutor further highlighted the strength of the evidence and stated:
“The suicide note written by the victim was found from his clothes during the postmortem. He had also given statements to the witnesses in the case– his brother and mother, naming the accused… The suicide note had been proven to be written by Gohil through forensic analysis and there had been sufficient evidence to prove that the accused had extorted Rs 1.8 lakh from Gohil…”
Emphasising the seriousness of the offence, Tiwari added:
“Our main argument was on the ground that despite being married, the accused had trapped this young, unmarried man into a relationship while also being involved with a third man. All of them connived together to extort money from him.”
During the trial, the court examined statements from 10 witnesses and reviewed 23 documentary pieces of evidence. While the court acquitted Kinjal Patel’s husband Sachin Patel and co-accused Jitendra alias Gopal Rana due to lack of sufficient proof against them, it found enough evidence to hold Kinjal Patel guilty of abetment to suicide.
In addition to the five-year jail term, the court also imposed a fine of ₹50,000 on Kinjal Patel. If she fails to pay the fine, she will have to undergo an additional one year of simple imprisonment. The court further directed that ₹25,000 from the fine amount should be paid as compensation to the family of the deceased.
The judgment has once again highlighted how emotional exploitation, blackmail, and mental harassment can have fatal consequences, and how courts are increasingly relying on documentary and forensic evidence, including suicide notes, to ensure accountability in such cases.
Laws and Sections Involved – Explained
| Law / Section | Name of Law | What the Section Means in Simple Terms | How It Applied in This Case |
| Section 306 IPC | Indian Penal Code, 1860 | Punishment for abetment to suicide. If someone mentally harasses, threatens, or pressures another person leading them to commit suicide, this section applies. | The court held that continuous harassment, blackmail, and extortion by the accused pushed the victim to consume poison. |
| Section 114 IPC | Indian Penal Code, 1860 | When an offence is committed in the presence of an abettor, the abettor is treated as if they committed the offence themselves. | This section was invoked as the accused and others allegedly acted together during the harassment and extortion. |
| Criminal Procedure (Evidence) | Criminal Trial Process | Courts rely on witness statements, documentary proof, and forensic evidence to establish guilt beyond doubt. | Suicide note, forensic handwriting confirmation, witness statements, and payment evidence were relied upon. |
Case Summary
- Case Title: State of Gujarat vs Kinjal Patel
- Court: Sessions Court, Nadiad, Kheda District, Gujarat
- Bench: Nadiad Sessions Court (Single Judge Bench)
- Date of Incident: 14 September 2021
- Deceased: Vishal Shankar Gohil, aged 27
- Accused Convicted: Kinjal Patel, aged 32
- Other Accused:
- Sachin Patel (husband) – Acquitted
- Jitendra alias Gopal Rana – Acquitted
- Sentence Awarded:
- 5 years rigorous imprisonment
- Fine of ₹50,000
- Default sentence: 1 year simple imprisonment
- Compensation Ordered: ₹25,000 to be paid to the deceased’s family from the fine amount
- Prosecution Counsel: Public Prosecutor P R Tiwari
- Police Station: Nadiad Town Police Station
- Key Evidence Relied Upon:
- Suicide note recovered during postmortem
- Forensic confirmation of handwriting
- Statements of brother and mother of the deceased
- Witness testimonies (10 witnesses)
- Documentary evidence (23 documents)
- Proof of extortion amounting to ₹1.8 lakh
Key Takeaways
- This case proves that men can be victims of emotional exploitation, blackmail, and psychological abuse, and such abuse can legally amount to abetment to suicide.
- Courts do not look at gender but at conduct; a married woman misusing a relationship to extort money was held criminally liable under IPC Section 306.
- Continuous mental harassment and financial extortion, even without physical violence, are sufficient to establish abetment to suicide when supported by evidence.
- A suicide note, when forensically verified and supported by witness statements, becomes powerful legal proof against false narratives and victim-blaming.
- This judgment sends a strong message that men’s suffering is real, legally recognizable, and punishable when driven by manipulation and coercion.
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