Bombay HC
Manisha, a 40-year-old ayurveda practitioner, was found hanging at the couple’s residence in D K Nagar on Gangapur Road on March 6. A key incident occurred on March 5 during a family wedding, where Dr Jejurkar allegedly humiliated his wife in front of relatives and refused to pose with her for a family photograph, according to the prosecution. Nashik : Bombay high court has rejected the anticipatory bail plea of Dr Nilesh Jejurkar, a govt psychiatrist accused of abetting the suicide of his wife, Manisha. Police initially registered a case of accidental death, and no suicide note was recovered from the scene. The next morning, Manisha was found dead. Opposing the FIR, the defence argued that harassment alone does not constitute abetment of suicide without direct incitement or a proximate act, relying on Supreme Court precedents. Rejecting these submissions, justice Jamdar held that the alleged humiliation at the wedding provided the necessary proximate link and indicated the requisite intent under law. The court further took note of concerns raised by the prosecution and the complainant regarding crime scene photographs, which allegedly showed a rope tied to a window in a manner that made suicide appear improbable.
A single judge bench of justice Madhav J Jamdar observed that a prima facie case of mens rea (guilty mind) and suffered harassment was made out against the applicant. The court also noted that certain circumstances in the case raised serious questions that could potentially indicate murder rather than suicide.