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What Should You Do If Your Wife Threatens

Suicide?

“I’ll kill myself if you leave me’’

It appears to be a lose-lose situation. When someone close to
you says something like this, it can feel as if the world has come
to a halt. In numerous matrimonial cases, there have been
instances where the wife has threatened the husband or has
attempted suicide. Using the law to coerce, extort, or blackmail
people is illegal in itself. In today's world, regulations meant to
promote gender equality are being abused by a select few.

Prior to turning our attention towards remedy, we need to

first consider the reasons behind such acts!
There are a variety of reasons why she does this, the most
prevalent of which are mentioned below:
● She might have some wishes and expectations from the
spouse which were not fulfilled by him. In that case, the
need of the hour is that the spouse needs to address the
issue and talk to his wife regarding the same and get that
sorted out with talks and try to fulfill the needs.
● People with mental illnesses, such as Borderline
Personality Disorder, are more likely to commit suicide.
Depression, a history of substance abuse, and other mental
illnesses all pose dangers. Get help right away if your
partner actually wants to die and has a plan in place to do
so. Call your local emergency number or Aasra (Helpline
Number) at 91-9820466726
● Parental interference—When her parents intervene too
much in married life, it might be a problem. According to
experts, the only antidote to parental interference is open
and honest communication between partners. Things
would not get out of hand if the spouses openly shared their
feelings regarding the other partner's parents and their role
in their lives. If the spouse commits suicide, it would not
because of their differences, incompatibility, or even
violence, but because someone else was controlling their
lives. Couples must avoid this if they wish to live happily
ever after together.
● Another issue may be dowry demand, which is illegal and
the husband should be punished in such cases.
 Precautionary Measures
Before going to court, the first step should be to have a peaceful
conversation and work together to solve the situation. If this
option does not yield a solution, try to take these steps of
cautions when the spouse threatens to commit suicide:

● Medical Records-: The majority of cases have serious

negative consequences. In reality, in such circumstances,
one should insist on a psychiatric examination for the wife.
Instead of instructing your wife to go to the doctor, insist
on accompanying her to a psychiatrist for a shared family
dispute resolution session but then also you should visit a
counsellor, and keep the documented opinion for your own
protection.
● Giving up on threats-: Giving up on threats from your
wife may be useful and effective in the short term, but it
will not work in the long run. You won't be able to stay in a
relationship that is built on coercion and blackmail. If you
know you're not incorrect, don't give up to threats that
aren't necessary.
● Recording-: The reason for her suicide attempt must be
documented. Because if she commits suicide and her
parents falsely accuse you of dowry, you would be charged
under 304B, which places the burden of proof on you and
requires you to explain why she committed suicide.
Legal Recourse in case of Suicide Threats by
Wife
Judicial Separation-
If your wife tries to commit suicide/Repeatedly give threats, you
should file for judicial separation/divorce as soon as possible so
that everything is documented and also try to make some
distance.

The Bombay High Court upheld a Nagpur based doctor's

divorce, stating that his wife's frequent threats to attempt suicide
constituted to cruelty and was grounds for divorce.
The Delhi High Court Bench led by Justices Pradeep
Nandrajog and Pratibha Rani said The threat by a woman to
commit suicide and blame her husband and in-laws for it is
enough to justify divorce.

Criminal Intimidation-
Criminal intimidation occurs when someone threatens someone
with a reputational injury with the goal of alarming that person
and forcing him to do something he is not legally obligated to
do.

It is a threat to harm a person's reputation, property, or person

himself, and the means by which these threats are carried out are
frequently illegal.
 ● There might be a circumstance where a woman threatens to
kill herself, a charge of Criminal Intimidation might be
initiated.
● A fake threat to file divorce proceedings or 498A arises
from either the wife or her family members in the case of
marriages, when the wife frequently threatens her in-laws
with suicide. This is equivalent to committing a crime of
intimidation.

What to do now?
There might be 2 cases that the wife might leave a suicide note
mentioning your name then you might be booked under section
306 IPC or if no suicide note then her parents might push your
name for the cause of suicide.
It is recommended to inform local SHO of Police Station by
filling an application saying that this girl has suicide tendencies
and that you should not be held liable in the same event occurs.

Defamation-
You can launch a defamation action if your wife makes a scene
by shouting loudly in the neighbourhood, or if she invites others
and screams her sadness in front of them while threatening to
commit suicide. When someone's reputation is harmed, this is
referred to as defamation. Whether to pursue civil or criminal
defamation is a personal decision. There are certain
requirements that must be met in order to prove defamation.
● A defamatory statement should have been made.
 ● That defamatory statement must refer to the husband.
● The statement must be ‘published' to a third party, who
cannot also be the husband who is being defamed.
Publishing means it should come in the knowledge of a 3rd
party.
● The husband's reputation must have been damaged by such
a statement.

Complaint under section 309 of the IPC-

You can also file a complaint under section 309 of the Indian
Penal Code, as attempting to commit suicide is also a crime.

Threatening to commit suicide by your wife is bad, but if she

does, then refer to this judgement-

Pankaj Mahajan v. Dimple @ Kajal (2011) 12 SCC 1

Mr Pankaj Mahajan, the main appellant in this case, was married
happily in the year 2000. It was an arranged marriage. They
decided to stay in Amritsar in Mr Mahajan's house with his
parents after their marriage. One year later,in 2001, they had a
daughter. Due to current disturbances, the child is with the
mother. After a few days of their marriage, the wife's behaviour
was really strange; she was acting like a mentally ill patient and
in a completely abnormal way.
They moved to a new house a few months later, and the
respondent's behaviour began to change. She made a threat to
suicide and even attempted suicide sometimes. He eventually
came to know that she is a schizophrenia patient who was
previously treated for the illness but no cure was found.
He addressed a letter to his mother-in-law in which he detailed
the suicide attempt and his wife's subsequent actions. In 2002,
he reported the incident to the town's SSP, and he decided to
submit a petition in district court for divorce. In this case, the
Additional District Court Judge ruled in favour of the appellant
and granted him divorce permission.
After witnessing all of this, the respondent filed a case in the
Punjab and Haryana High Court, which ruled in favour of
the defendant and overturned the district court's decision.
Following this, the appellant decided to take his case to the
Supreme Court.
After reviewing all of this, the court concluded that the husband
has sufficient evidence to show that his wife suffers from a
mental disease and that staying with her is extremely difficult.
As a result, the high court's decision was overturned, the
appellant was found not guilty, and a divorce judgement was
issued, and their marriage was dissolved. The appellant must
pay Rs. 2 lakhs in alimony fees in the name of his daughter in
two equal instalments, as well as Rs. 3 lakhs in FDR to any
nationalised bank. When the daughter reaches the age of
majority, she will be able to withdraw this sum. Until then, the
wife is permitted to withdraw once in every three months for the
expense of the child.
 Conclusion
In every marriage, there should be a consideration and the
marriage should be maintained if possible; divorce is not the
best answer in every circumstance. However, when
circumstances have reached a breaking point, divorce may be
necessary to save a person's life, a s we've seen in this case. As a
result, divorce should be a person's last resort.

This article has been written by Sukhmandeep Singh