Judgments
High Court of Madras
A. Steepen v. The State
16.03.2016
Criminal
High Court acquits ‘depressed’ engineer who killed son
Madras High Court acquitted a man accused of poisoning his son, taking into consideration harrowing familial loss that had rendered him mentally unstable. It considered expert medical testimony regarding the accused’s mental health to opine that “not every homicide which is made punishable under the Indian Penal Code. It is only a culpable homicide…”. In the instant case the accused had suffered a sudden and traumatic loss of his wife, wealth and livelihood. The court received evidence from family members of the accused that after the death of his wife was and was not his normal self after the death of his wife, while medical experts opined him to be suffering from ‘major depressive disorder’ and since the death of his wife had shown suicidal tendencies. It concluded that the accused was of unsound mind at the time of occurrence of office under Section 84 IPC and could not be convicted under Section 302 or 309 IPC.
Relevant
Dahyabhai Chhaganbhai Thakker vs. State of Gujarat MANU/SC/0068/1964
Section 309 Indian Penal Code Act
Tags : unsound mind depression murder suicide
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