The Supreme Court on Friday held that abetment involves mental process of instigating or intentionally aiding a person in doing of a thing, as it quashed criminal proceedings and a non-bailable warrant issued against a woman in a case of an alleged suicide under the SC/ST Act.

A bench of Justices R. Subhash Reddy and Hrishikesh Roy said: "Abetment involves mental process of instigating a person or intentionally aiding a person in doing of a thing. Without positive act on the part of the accused to instigate or aid in committing suicide, no one can be convicted for offence under Section 306, IPC."