Air India pilot suicide: Lawyer argues victim didn't complain about boyfriend's acts, accused gets bail

Pilot Srishti Tuli (25), who lived in a rented flat in Mumbai was found dead in the early hours of November 25. A day later, police arrested her boyfriend Aditya Pandit (27), and charged him with abetment of suicide.

Mumbai: A court, while granting bail to a man booked for abetting the suicide of his girlfriend and Air India pilot, held that the victim had not complained to her family member or any authority about their strained relationship and his acts.

Pilot Srishti Tuli (25), who lived in a rented flat in Marol area of Mumbai was found dead in the early hours of November 25. A day later, police arrested her boyfriend Aditya Pandit (27), and charged him with abetment of suicide.

Additional sessions judge (Dindoshi court) T T Aglawe on December 27 granted bail to the accused.

In the detailed order made available on Thursday, the court noted that the FIR points out three instances of strained relationship between the applicant and the deceased.

"However, the deceased had not complained about the acts of the applicant either to her family members or to any other authority," the court said.

It held that the material investigation was already over and therefore curtailing further liberty of the applicant (Pandit) was "not warranted".

The complaint against Pandit had been lodged by the victim's uncle.

As per the complaint, the accused and the victim were residing in the same room for five-six days prior to the incident. However, on the day of the incident the accused left for Delhi at around 1 pm.

It has been alleged that there used to be a dispute between the two over their food preferences as Tuli was a non-vegetarian and the accused a vegetarian.

The complainant alleged that only because of that reason, she might have died by suicide.

However, Pandit's lawyer, Aniket Nikam, argued that a case of abetment of suicide is not made out.

"Merely because there were some fights between both of them, it does not mean that the applicant had any criminal intent," the lawyer said.

After hearing both the sides, the court granted bail to Pandit.