Chhattisgarh Court Jails Five for Abetting Man’s Suicide Amid Pressure to Convert to Christianity
They were convicted under Section 108 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which deals with abetment of suicide.
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Dhamtari (Chhattisgarh), Oct 12: A court in Chhattisgarh’s Dhamtari district has sentenced five members of a family, including the wife of a man who died by suicide, to five years of rigorous imprisonment each in a case involving allegations of mental harassment and pressure to convert to Christianity. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 500 on each convict.
Following Nilesh’s death, Arjuni police registered a case and investigated the allegations. After examining the evidence, the court sentenced all five accused to five years of rigorous imprisonment each, along with individual fines of Rs 500.
Additional Sessions Judge Archana Bhaskar pronounced the verdict after examining the evidence presented during the trial. The five convicts include the deceased’s wife, mother-in-law, father-in-law and two sisters-in-law. They were convicted under Section 108 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which deals with abetment of suicide.
The case relates to the death of Nilesh Kumar Sahu, a resident of Potiyadih village in Dhamtari district. He was married to Karuna Sahu, a resident of Raipur, and the couple had a child.
According to the prosecution, differences developed between the couple around a year after their marriage. Nilesh allegedly faced mental harassment from his wife and her family members, who were accused of pressuring him to convert to Christianity.
The prosecution further alleged that his in-laws insisted on religious conversion during his visits to their Raipur residence. His wife also threatened to prevent him from touching their child if he refused to convert.
WhatsApp and Instagram messages posted by Nilesh before his death reportedly described his distress over his marital circumstances and the alleged pressure to change his religion.
BIG VICTORY - LANDMARK JUDGEMENT IN FIGHT AGAINST CONVERSIONS
— Swati Goel Sharma (@swati_gs) October 11, 2026
Five people have been convicted and sentenced to 5 years in jail for driving Linesh Sahu to suicide by forcing him to convert to Christianity
Convicts:
Linesh's father-in-law Rajkumar
mother-in-law Gauri
wife Karuna… https://t.co/EVTe60h0oy
Advocate Gitesh Prajapati, representing the prosecution, said the messages were crucial evidence in establishing the circumstances preceding his death. The prosecution also presented witness statements and other evidence before the court.
The convicts are Karuna Sahu, 27; Gauri Sahu, 48; Rajkumar Sahu, 54; Kiran Sahu, 31; and Kanishka Sahu, 19, all residents of Raipur.