Rising Suicide Rates In Covid-19: A Call For Decriminalization Of Section 309 IPC

Danish Khan, Jamia Millia Islamia

ABSTRACT

“Suicide cannot be refuted philosophically. It is the only way to free oneself from the actual configuration of the will. Why should it not be permitted to throw away something that the most accidental natural phenomenon can smash at any minute? A cold breeze can be fatal. Is not the whim, which makes one throw away life, in any case more rational than a breeze? It is not, after all, absolute stupidity that makes one throw it away.”

A progressive thought by a named as Friedrich Nietzsche , that contradicts the views of religions, especially monotheistic religions about the idea of suicide. Just like the Complex definitions and dimensions of Suicide , the idea against suicide also varies with religions. If not denying the ideation of Suicide , most religions have pre-dominantly dis-favoured the ideation of suicide . Buddhism has called it a negative action . In Catholic Christians ,suicide has been considered as grave sin . Islam being the Abrahamic strictly called it a sin and detrimental to one’s spiritual Life . Hinduism , dwelling on the Re-birth concept calls it as an meaningless and unacceptable act which has certain exceptions such as Sati . India being traditionally a religious nation , has led to the Negative Psychic against the very concept of Suicide . This is also reflected in the form of Section 309 IPC- criminalizing of attempt to suicide ,that still shows the dire need to scrap off the inhuman laws of British Raj

KEYWORDS: Suicide , humanization , De-criminalization , Covid-19, Attempt .