HC suspends conviction of scientist in wife's suicide case for vaccine work

Uttarakhand HC allows Akash Yadav to resume duties at Indian Immunologicals Ltd, citing his essential role in national vaccine development; suspends his conviction in wife's abetment to suicide case

The Uttarakhand High Court has suspended both the conviction and five-year rigorous imprisonment of Akash Yadav, a senior vaccine scientist, citing his “undoubtedly essential” role in public health and national interest, The Times of India reported on Monday.

 

Justice Ravindra Maithani passed the order during the pendency of Yadav’s appeal against his conviction for abetment to suicide following the death of his wife in 2015.

 

The relief comes in light of arguments that the conviction had disqualified Yadav from continuing scientific work at Indian Immunologicals Limited (IIL), a public sector undertaking responsible for the production of vaccines critical to India’s national immunisation efforts.

 

Case background

The case stems from the death of Yadav’s wife, an employee at Pantnagar University, who died by suicide on December 14, 2015. The couple had been married for just over seven months. She had returned to her maternal home in July 2015 while Yadav, a vaccinologist with a PhD in biotechnology from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur, was posted in Hyderabad.

 

In a suicide note, she held her husband responsible for her death. Yadav was arrested in May 2017 and spent over three months in judicial custody before being granted bail in August that year.

 

Yadav was convicted under Section 306 of the Indian Penal Code (abetment to suicide) by a sessions court in Rudrapur on January 21 this year. He was sentenced to five years’ rigorous imprisonment and fined ₹20,000. However, he was acquitted of charges under Section 304-B (dowry death) and Sections 3 and 4 of the Dowry Prohibition Act.

 

Arguments and legal context 

After his conviction in January, Yadav filed an interim application under Section 389(1) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, seeking suspension of his conviction. His counsel submitted that the conviction had led to his disqualification from IIL, thereby disrupting critical vaccine development work that has wide-ranging implications for public health.

 

According to a report by LiveLaw, this argument was accepted with Justice Maithani stating, “What is stated in the instant case is that the appellant is a scientist, who is into the research work of vaccine development, and due to his conviction, he is not allowed to join his duties, which, otherwise, is also a greater issue of public health and national interest.”

 

Court cites precedent, grants relief

The court relied on established legal principles for granting such relief, citing the Supreme Court judgments in Rama Narang vs Ramesh Narang (1995) and Navjot Singh Sidhu vs State of Punjab (2007), which affirm that in exceptional cases, courts can suspend convictions where the resulting disqualification may lead to irreversible professional and public consequences.

 

“If the conviction is not suspended, it will not only be a professional loss for the appellant but may also cause harm to larger public interest,” Justice Maithani said.

 

While the stay allows Yadav to return to Indian Immunologicals Limited, the case itself remains under judicial consideration. The final outcome will depend on the court’s decision in the pending appeal.