Till date, an attempt to commit suicide is considered an offence, which finds place under Chapter XVI of the Indian Penal Code relating to the offences affecting the human body. The penal provision u/s 309 of the IPC provides “whoever attempts to commit suicide and does any act towards the commission of such offence, shall be punished with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year and shall also be liable to fine’’.

This is a peculiar offence that stands singularly as a unique offence, where the offender can only be prosecuted and punished if he fails in his attempt to commit the offensive act of suicide. If he succeeds, he is no more to be answerable to law. For quite some time, the debate for and against this provision has been on, and the case on both sides appears strong. One school of thought recommends that just as one is assured of right to life by law, why should one not be allowed the right to die? Hence, the right to end life by committing suicide cannot be considered as a crime. The other school of thought believes that if the law does not punish the person attempting to commit suicide, the cases of suicide would substantially grow, and, thereby, people would be inclined to end their lives even on insignificant issues.