Shillong, Mar 17: The Meghalaya High Court yesterday dismissed an FIR alleging attempted murder against a man, concluding that the facts behind the case did not amount to such a complicated domestic situation between two romantic partners.
The FIR goes back to 2021 when one Bimlan Sohshang was accused of and then charge-sheeted for offence under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 307 (attempted murder), 326 (causing grievous hurt using dangerous weapons or means) and 354 (assault or criminal force used against a woman with the intent to outrage her modesty).
Sohshang petitioned the High Court to quash the FIR and charge-sheet as the dispute he had with the supposed victim, Dwip Lyngkhoi, had been amicably settled.
In a hearing yesterday, Meghalaya Chief Justice Revati Mohite Dere noted in her order that Section 307 is so serious that a case under this section cannot be quashed even with the consent of the parties. However, after going through the facts of the case, Justice Dere found that no offence under Sec 307 or 326 has been made out, so the petition to dismiss the case has been accepted, subject to the petitioner depositing costs of Rs 25,000 into the bank account of Lyngkhoi within four weeks of the judgement.
The case has its origins in 2020 when Lyngkhoi’s husband and father to her five children died. She then began living with Sohshang as husband and wife.
Problems developed, however, as Sohshang was already married to one of Lyngkhoi’s relatives and was abusive.
Lyngkhoi’s clan were not in favour of the relationship (not least because Sohshang supposedly demanded Rs 2 lakh to leave his wife to be with Lyngkhoi) and directed her to stay with a relative in Langlew village.
It was while on her way there that Lyngkhoi was accosted by Sohshang, threatened with a knife and dragged into the forest. However, they reconciled there and then, drank alcohol together and had a “consensual physical relationship” before returning home. Her wounds amounted to a couple of light scratches and bruises to her arm. These did not pass the threshold of attempted murder and the case against Sohshang was thus quashed.
