Tell him to immediately file police complaint for the same for his protection 

Emotional blackmail involving suicide threats is a heavy burden, and it is completely understandable that your relative is scared and that the family has lost its peace. Please tell your relative that he does not have to stay silent out of fear.

Advise your relative never to dare her, mock her, or fight back aggressively when she threatens self-harm. He must remain completely calm, walk away, or record it passively.

If she has genuine mental health struggles, document an attempt to take her to a psychiatrist or counselor. If she refuses, keep a record of that refusal. It proves the husband tried to help her.

He should consult a competent criminal defense or family law advocate immediately to draft the police complaint correctly. Taking charge legally will give him his peace of mind back.

File police complaint of relative constant threats to commit suicide 

rely upon audio recordings ,messages exchanged with relative

1. Let him inform the jurisdictional Police Station that his wife is blackmailing him of suicide and he shouldn't be held liable in case she commits suicide.

2.  Let him take her to psychiatric counselor to counsell her not to go to the extent of committing suicide. 

Record all her threats and blackmails. This is the pre-emptive self-defense in case she commits anything. This is also the valid ground for obtaining divorce. 

Rest depends on why and for what she is threatening/blackmailing.  

- As per Supreme Court, Regular Threats to Commit Suicide Amounts to Cruelty and is also a ground for Divorce.

- Further, in the matter of Narendra v. K. Meena, (2016) , Repeated attempts by wife to commit suicide amounts to extreme cruelty and divorce granted.

- Your relative should give information Application/Complaint to the SHO of your area police station, after narrating that he is facing hardship as his wife is having suicidal tendencies and further he should not be held responsible in case such a thing happens in future. 

If your relative’s wife is repeatedly threatening suicide, emotionally blackmailing him, threatening false implication, or creating an atmosphere of fear and mental harassment, then he should take the situation seriously but act calmly and legally. The first and most important thing is that he should avoid any physical confrontation, abusive language, threats, or retaliatory conduct because in matrimonial disputes even small incidents can later be exaggerated into criminal allegations. He should maintain maximum restraint in all communications and, wherever possible, communicate politely through messages or written communication so that a proper record exists.

At the same time, he should start preserving evidence immediately, including WhatsApp chats, call recordings where legally permissible, messages containing suicide threats, blackmail, threats of false cases, abusive conduct, or admissions. If threats are repeatedly made, he may send a calm written message requesting her not to make such threats and expressing willingness for peaceful discussion or counselling. Such communications later help demonstrate that he was trying to de-escalate the situation rather than provoke conflict.

If the threats are serious or frequent, he may also lodge a General Diary/NC complaint or written representation before the local police station stating that he apprehends false implication or self-harm threats by his wife and that he seeks preventive protection. The purpose is not to criminalize the wife immediately but to create a contemporaneous record showing that he was under fear and mental pressure. If there are genuine concerns regarding suicide threats, he may also inform close family members, trusted persons, or seek intervention through counselling or mediation.

If the matrimonial environment has become completely toxic, then pre-litigation mediation, family counselling, or temporary separate residence may also be considered in order to reduce escalation. He should avoid remaining alone during major confrontations where possible and avoid reacting emotionally to provocation. If there are elderly parents at home, their involvement in arguments should also be minimized because matrimonial disputes often expand into allegations against the entire family.

Where threats of false criminal cases are serious and immediate, consultation with a local matrimonial lawyer becomes important so that anticipatory legal strategy may be prepared in advance if required. However, the overall approach should remain balanced and non-aggressive because courts generally appreciate parties who attempt peaceful resolution and maintain restraint despite provocation.

Dear Client,

If your relative’s wife is blackmailing him with threats of suicide, he should treat it as a serious coercion issue and create a written record immediately. In India, a threat of suicide can amount to criminal intimidation depending on the words and context, and if she is pressuring him through calls, messages, or public scenes, he can make a written complaint to the local police station/SHO and the DCP describing the threats, attaching screenshots, recordings, and witness names.

He should also inform trusted family members and a few neutral witnesses in writing, because if anything later happens, those people can confirm that he was being threatened and did not provoke it. If the situation is escalating, he should consult a local criminal/family lawyer about a preventive complaint and, where appropriate, seek protection through the police and the court; if he is also facing marital cruelty, the same facts can be relevant later in a divorce case as mental cruelty, but the immediate priority is to document, report, and avoid being isolated with the threat.

I hope this helps and if you have any further issues do not hesitate to contact us.