South 24-Parganas youth cleared of abetment to suicide charges after 12 yrs

Kolkata: After nearly 12 years of legal battle, a youth charged with abetment to suicide of a 16-year-old girl was acquitted by the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) of South 24-Parganas on Thursday.

Principal Magistrate of JJB of South 24-Parganas Uttam Das passed his judgment after police failed to provide evidence in connection with the IPC Section 305 (abetment to suicide of a minor) charge that was levelled against the youth, who was also a minor at the time when the incident occurred.

The case dates back to April 23, 2007, when the hanging body of a minor girl was recovered from her residence at Taramani Ghat Road by the Thakurpukur police station.

The police did not find any evidence of foul play initially and the family members of the victim had also told the sleuths that they had none to blame for the death of their daughter.

The case, however, took a dramatic turn after seven months on September 30, when the victim's mother lodged a written complaint with Thakurpukur police station, submitting a page of a diary where it was written that a youth of their locality (whose name was mentioned) had pushed the victim and when she fell down on the road, the boys in the locality who were present at the spot had laughed at her.

The victim could not take the insult and took the drastic step. The girl's mother claimed that the diary belonged to the victim and the handwriting was her daughter's.

Apprehending arrest, the youth surrendered at Alipore Court and got bail. However, the police had submitted chargesheet against the youth under section 305 of IPC and the trial had started.

During the course of investigation, the sleuths had seized five of the

victim's school exercise books and claimed that the handwriting in those matched the handwriting in the disputed diary.

However, the investigating officer was unable to establish the claim during trial as the report of the handwriting expert had opined that the standard handwriting of the victim and the disputed writing in the diary were not the same.

"Justice was delayed but not denied. I feel happy for my client that after such a long legal battle he has been acquitted of all false charges that the prosecution had brought against him," said advocate Subir Chakraborty.