‘Scolding Or Workload Alone Not Abetment To Suicide': Allahabad HC Grants Bail To MLA
The court gave bail to Jahid Baig, a Samajwadi Party MLA from Uttar Pradesh's Bhadohi, in a case involving the suicide of an 18-year-old domestic help
The Allahabad High Court has granted bail to Jahid Baig (aka Jahid Jamal Beg), a Samajwadi Party MLA from Uttar Pradesh's Bhadohi constituency, in a case involving the suicide of an 18-year-old domestic help, Nazia, who had been working in his home for nearly a decade.
The bench of Justice Sanjay Kumar Singh, while allowing the bail plea, held that there was no prima facie evidence to establish abetment of suicide under Section 108 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, by the legislator or his family members.
The incident occurred on the night of September 8-9, 2024, when Nazia was found hanging in a storeroom on the third floor of the MLA's residence. Her death sparked concerns of child labour and alleged harassment in a politically sensitive setting. Another minor girl, Moni alias Sania, was rescued from the same household the next day during a joint raid ordered by the district magistrate.
According to Moni's statement, both girls were often overburdened and scolded, sometimes even slapped. However, the court observed that such statements, while concerning, did not amount to instigation under the law.
Nazia's father Imran and cousin Zubair initially refrained from making any accusations against the applicant. Later, Nazia's mother submitted an application under Section 173(4) BNSS against a young man named Abhishek Saroj, claiming that Nazia had been in a relationship with him and was being blackmailed over intimate photographs, which allegedly led to her suicide.
The single-judge bench placed weight on Nazia's call records, which showed extended conversations with Abhishek in the hours leading up to her death. It noted that these details, combined with the mother's complaint, 'supported and corroborated" the theory that the alleged blackmail may have triggered her suicide.
Further undermining the prosecution's case was the unexplained five-day delay in lodging the FIR, despite the police and district officials visiting the scene on September 10, a day after the suicide.
'As per statement of Moni with whom deceased-Nazia was working in the house of the applicant, that sometimes applicant scolded the deceased for work. Even assuming the same as correct at this stage, the same cannot be categorised as instigation or abetment to commit suicide," the court held, adding that there was no suicide note, no direct incitement by the applicant, and no allegations of abetment from the deceased's parents.
However, the court emphasised that its findings were restricted to bail and should not influence the merits of the ongoing trial. Jahid Baig, who had been in custody since September 19, 2024, was directed to cooperate with the proceedings and barred from leaving the country.
First Published:
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
28 minutes ago
- Time of India
Addicted to rummy, vice-principal steals Rs 8 lakh from college safe in Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad: The vice-principal of a nursing college in Meghaninagar has been arrested for stealing Rs 8 lakh from the institution's office safe, after police identified her through a small but telling detail in CCTV footage: a birthmark near her right eye. The 42-year-old woman, a resident of Shahibaug, confessed to committing the theft, citing a severe addiction to online rummy that had plunged her into debt. The theft, which had initially puzzled investigators, came to light when CCTV footage revealed a burqa-clad woman discreetly unlocking the office safe and walking away with a bundle of Rs 500 notes totalling Rs 8 lakh. On close examination of the footage, sub-inspector R M Chavda of Meghaninagar police said, "Scouring through the tapes through the night, we noticed a distinct birthmark near the right eye of the burqa-clad woman — a facial feature that matched the vice-principal, whom we had questioned on the day of the theft. " He further added that the accused, confronted with the videographic evidence the next morning, confessed to committing the theft, after which she was arrested. The vice-principal, a resident of Shahibaug, told police she had fallen into heavy debt due to online rummy addiction, and stole the money in a desperate attempt to recover her losses and keep playing. She used a key, kept carelessly in a drawer in the same room as the safe, to gain access to the student fee pool around 6am on July 22. You Can Also Check: Ahmedabad AQI | Weather in Ahmedabad | Bank Holidays in Ahmedabad | Public Holidays in Ahmedabad The complaint, filed on Tuesday, stated that the college principal discovered the theft later that morning, and gathered the college staff and personnnel to inquire if any of them had seen anything. The gathering included the accused, who by that time had safely squirrelled the money back home to come back to the scene of the crime. The Meghaninangar police has booked the accused under Section 305 (theft) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and are in the process of adding charges under Section 306 for theft by a clerk or servant. The Meghaninagar police recovered Rs 2.36 lakh in cash from her Shahibaug residence and from her person. The remaining Rs 5.64 lakh, police said, had been transferred overnight to her online gaming wallet, which has been frozen pending formal seizure proceedings.
NDTV
30 minutes ago
- NDTV
"Fraud And Justice Can't Dwell Together": Top Court Recalls Compensation Order
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday recalled its order on compensation awarded over a land in Gautam Budh Nagar in Uttar Pradesh acquired by the Noida authority, saying it was obtained by fraud and has to be erased from the records, being a nullity. A bench of Justices Surya Kant, Ujal Bhuyan and Dipankar Datta adjudicated the dispute over the ownership of land, which was purchased by three people - Reddy Veerana, Vishnu Vardhan and one T Sudhakar - in 1997, and acquired by Noida in 2005 and now forms part of Noida's commercial hub in Sector 18. It was alleged that Mr Veerana fraudulently claimed sole ownership of the land in several proceedings before diverse judicial fora, from civil courts to the high court and to the Supreme Court in 2022, when the top court had passed an order for enhanced compensation to Mr Veerana. Mr Veerana was alleged to have fraudulently ousted Mr Vardhan and Mr Sudhakar and pocketed the compensation amount. Vishnu Vardhan contested the claim of Mr Veerana by initiating several proceedings and sought a recall of the May 2022 order of the court. Justice Datta, who penned the verdict for the bench, said from the multiple decisions of this court on "fraud, what follows is that fraud and justice cannot dwell together". "The legislature never intends to guard fraud, the question of limitation to exercise power does not arise, if fraud is proved, and even finality of litigation cannot be pressed into service to absurd limits when a fraud is unravelled." The order added, "However, even if Vishnu had not applied for a review - as a logical corollary of the aforesaid discussions - the decision in Reddy Veerana (2022 verdict), too, having been obtained by Reddy by playing fraud, has to be erased from the records being a nullity." The bench also set aside the Allahabad High Court's October 28, 2021, verdict, which accepted Veerana as the sole owner of the property and enhanced the compensation from Rs 152.04 per sq. metre to Rs 1,10,000 per sq. metre, saying the fraud had vitiated the entire proceedings. "As a logical corollary of the impugned order being set aside, it would follow that the decision of this Court in Reddy Veerana (2022 verdict), upholding the same, which too was obtained by playing fraud, will also be a nullity, and thus stand recalled in exercise of our inherent powers," the bench ordered. Referring to a 1994 verdict of the top court, the bench said that fraud was held to be an act of deliberate deception with the design of securing something by "taking unfair advantage of another: a deception to gain by another's loss". "We begin with recording the realisation that undoubtedly, there seems to be much more than what has met our eyes. However, like all courts, we are bound to decide cases based on the evidence on record, judicially noticeable facts, and the applicable law. Despite Reddy and Vishnu – and to a certain extent Sudhakar – having used the judicial process obviously to secure their personal interests, we cannot be bystanders," it said. The verdict continued, "If things have happened with a telling effect on public interest, resulting in public funds from the public exchequer being drained, the same has to be dealt with within the bounds of our jurisdiction. In our pursuit for the truth and to uphold the rule of law, we must adhere to established principles unless a valid reason warrants deviation.' The top court remanded the case back to the high court with a direction to implead Vishnu Vardhan and T Sudhakar, the other two owners of the land, as additional respondents.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Telangana begins shift to enforce stricter provision for vehicle thefts
Hyderabad: The Shamshabad police started registering vehicle theft cases under Section 305(b) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which carries a jail term of up to seven years' and a fine, instead of Section 303(2), intended for general thefts with a maximum punishment of three years' imprisonment. The move comes in the wake of a TOI report published on May 29, which highlighted inconsistencies in the enforcement of new criminal laws across states. While police in Delhi and several other states were already invoking Section 305(b) of the BNS, specifically designated for vehicle thefts, states like Telangana continued to apply the more lenient Section 303(2) of the BNS. The state CID also took note of the report and referred it to the Joint Working Group on New Criminal Laws to seek legal opinion regarding the applicability of the new section for vehicle thefts. According to NCRB figures, Telangana records over 7,500 vehicle thefts annually, placing it among the top ten states in the country for such crimes. You Can Also Check: Hyderabad AQI | Weather in Hyderabad | Bank Holidays in Hyderabad | Public Holidays in Hyderabad The lack of awareness or differing interpretations had previously prevented Telangana police from invoking Section 305(b), thereby weakening the deterrent intent of the stricter legislation. Following the TOI report, senior officers in the Shamshabad zone addressed the issue and decided to implement the provision within their jurisdiction. The RGI Airport police station was the first to register vehicle theft cases under Section 305(b) of the BNS, recording approximately ten cases in June and July. Earlier this week, Mohammed Shareef Khan (30), a resident of Satamrai, reported the theft of his scooter parked in front of his house. Similarly, on July 19, S Abhilash (31), a physiotherapist, reported the theft of his bike parked at his apartment in Shamshabad. Both incidents were filed under Section 305(b) of the BNS at RGI Airport. "Now, other police stations in the zone have also started invoking the section for vehicle thefts," said RGI Airport Inspector K Balaraju. However, police in other zones of Cyberabad, as well as other commissionerates in the capital, continued to use Section 303(2) of the BNS for such cases. The Telangana CID, responsible for the implementation of New Criminal Laws in the state, acknowledged the TOI report and has referred the matter to the Joint Working Group on NCL implementation for a legal opinion, sources stated.
