RAIPUR: A court in Chhattisgarh’s Dhamtari district has sentenced five members of a family, including the wife of a young man who died by suicide, to five years of rigorous imprisonment each in a case involving mental harassment and pressure to convert to Christianity. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 500 on each of the five convicts.
Additional Sessions Judge Archana Bhaskar pronounced the verdict after considering the evidence presented during the trial. The convicted persons include the deceased’s wife, mother-in-law, father-in-law and two sisters-in-law. The case relates to the death of Nilesh Kumar Sahu , who faced sustained pressure from his wife and in-laws to embrace Christianity.
According to the prosecution, messages posted by the deceased on WhatsApp and Instagram before his death played a significant role in establishing the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Victim Faced Pressure to Convert to Christianity
The case originated in Potiyadih village under the jurisdiction of Arjuni police station in Dhamtari district. The deceased, Nilesh Sahu, was married to Karuna Sahu, a resident of Raipur. The couple had a child, and their married life was reportedly normal during the initial period.
However, according to the prosecution, differences developed between the couple after approximately a year of marriage. The deceased began facing mental harassment from his wife and her family members, who were accused of pressuring him to convert to Christianity.
The prosecution alleged that the pressure was not confined to the couple’s domestic disagreements. Nilesh reportedly faced similar pressure whenever he visited his in-laws’ house in Raipur, where his mother-in-law and sisters-in-law allegedly insisted that he adopt Christianity.
According to the allegations presented during the proceedings, his wife also threatened that she would not allow him to touch their child if he refused to convert. The threat caused him considerable distress and added to the tension in his marital relationship.
These allegations formed a central part of the prosecution’s account of the events preceding his death.
Social Media Messages Became Key Evidence
Before his death, Nilesh shared messages on WhatsApp and Instagram expressing his distress over his marital circumstances and the alleged pressure to change his religion.
The messages reportedly referred to the mental harassment he was experiencing and accused his wife and in-laws of pressuring him to embrace Christianity. In one message, he expressed severe distress and indicated that he was contemplating suicide.
Advocate Gitesh Prajapati, who represented the prosecution, said the deceased’s WhatsApp messages became a crucial piece of evidence in the case.
#WATCH Dhamtari, Chhattisgarh: A court has sentenced five individuals—including the wife and in-laws—to five years of rigorous imprisonment in connection with the suicide of a young man allegedly pressured to convert his religion.
Lawyer Gitesh Prajapati says, "The deceased,… pic.twitter.com/KzDVj3mE9V
— ANI (@ANI) October 9, 2026
According to Prajapati, the messages helped establish the deceased’s state of mind and brought attention to the alleged circumstances that preceded his death. He said Nilesh had been deeply distressed by the alleged pressure from his wife and in-laws, particularly over the issue of religious conversion and access to his child.
The prosecution also presented witness statements and other evidence before the court during the trial. The court examined the material placed on record before reaching its conclusion.
The significance of the social media messages lay in their connection to the deceased’s allegations and the circumstances in which they were posted. The court ultimately convicted all five accused on the basis of the evidence considered during the proceedings.
Wife, Parents-in-Law and Sisters-in-Law Convicted
The five convicts have been identified as Karuna Sahu, 27, the deceased’s wife; Gauri Sahu, 48, his mother-in-law; Rajkumar Sahu, 54, his father-in-law; Kiran Sahu, 31, his elder sister-in-law; and Kanishka Sahu, 19, his younger sister-in-law. All five were reported to be residents of Raipur.
Following Nilesh’s death, Arjuni police registered a case and initiated an investigation into the allegations. The five accused were subsequently arrested, and the matter proceeded to trial.
After hearing the case and examining the evidence, the court convicted the five accused under Section 108 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which deals with abetment of suicide.
The court sentenced each convict to five years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed an individual fine of Rs 500. The prosecution was represented by Public Prosecutor Gitesh Prajapati.
The verdict brings the trial proceedings to a significant stage in a case that drew attention to allegations of coercion, domestic harassment and religious conversion pressure within a family.
Case Highlights Allegations of Mental Harassment
The case centres on the circumstances surrounding the young man’s death and the allegations that persistent pressure from his wife and in-laws contributed to his distress.
The prosecution maintained that Nilesh had repeatedly expressed his anguish over the alleged pressure to convert to Christianity. His messages on social media became an important part of the evidence examined by the court.
The conviction and sentencing of the five accused mark the outcome of the judicial proceedings in the suicide abetment case. The ruling also underscores the legal consequences of conduct found by a court to constitute abetment of suicide.
