Editing Indian Penal Code (section)

===Attempt to Commit Suicide – Section 309===
The [[Section 309 of the Indian Penal Code]] deals with suicide attempts, whereby attempting to die by suicide is punishable with imprisonment of up to one year. Considering long-standing demand and recommendations of the [[Law Commission of India]], which has repeatedly endorsed the repeal of this section, the [[Government of India]] in December 2014, decided to decriminalise attempts to die by suicide by dropping Section 309 of the IPC from the statute book. In February 2015, the Legislative Department of the [[Ministry of Law and Justice (India)|Ministry of Law and Justice]] was asked by the Government to prepare a draft Amendment Bill in this regard.<ref>{{cite web|title=Attempt to Suicide|url=http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=115721|website=Press Information Bureau|publisher=Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India|access-date=15 August 2015}}</ref>

In an August 2015 ruling, the [[Rajasthan High Court]] made the [[Jain]] practice of undertaking voluntary death by fasting at the end of a person's life, known as [[Sallekhana|Santhara]], punishable under sections 306 and 309 of the IPC. This led to some controversy, with some sections of the Jain community urging the Prime Minister to move the [[Supreme Court of India|Supreme Court]] against the order.<ref>{{cite news|title=Rajasthan HC says Santhara illegal, Jain saints want PM Modi to move SC|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/high-court-says-santhara-illegal-jain-saints-want-pm-narendra-modi-to-move-supreme-court/|access-date=15 August 2015|work=The Indian Express}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Rajasthan HC bans starvation ritual 'Santhara', says fasting unto death not essential tenet of Jainism|url=http://www.ibnlive.com/news/india/rajasthan-hc-bans-starvation-ritual-santhara-says-fasting-unto-death-not-essential-tenet-of-jainism-1035893.html|access-date=15 August 2015|work=IBN Live|agency=CNN-IBN|date=10 August 2015|archive-date=12 August 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150812234011/http://www.ibnlive.com/news/india/rajasthan-hc-bans-starvation-ritual-santhara-says-fasting-unto-death-not-essential-tenet-of-jainism-1035893.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> On 31 August 2015, the Supreme Court admitted the petition by Akhil Bharat Varshiya Digambar Jain Parishad and granted leave. It stayed the decision of the High Court and lifted the ban on the practice.

In 2017, the new [[Mental Healthcare Act, 2017|Mental Healthcare Act]] of India was signed. Section 115(1) of the act effectively decriminalised suicide, saying "anyone who attempts suicide shall be presumed, unless proved otherwise, to have severe stress and shall not be tried and punished under the said Code."

The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, officially decriminalized attempted suicide by not including an equivalent section to Section 309.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-08-12 |title=The ‘new IPC’ removes the punishment for attempting suicide — or does it? Here’s what the proposed Nyaya Sanhita says |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-law/new-ipc-removes-punishment-attempting-suicide-8889717/ |access-date=2024-07-04 |website=The Indian Express |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Decriminalising attempted suicide in India: the new penal code |url=https://cmhlp.org/imho/blog/decriminalising-attempted-suicide-in-india-the-new-penal-code/ |access-date=2024-07-04 |website=Centre for Mental Health Law & Policy |language=en-US}}</ref>