The adultery verdict has claimed its first life.

A woman committed suicide at MGR Nagar here on Saturday night after her husband, a watchman, challenged her that she had no right to stop him from having an extramarital affair as the Supreme Court had ruled three days ago that adultery was not a crime.

Police said Pushpalatha, 24, of Bharathi Nagar, Nesapakkam married John Paul Franklin, 27, two years ago. The couple had a love marriage after a strong opposition from their families. The couple had a child, police said.

The woman was said to have been undergoing treatment for tuberculosis. Franklin is employed as a security guard at a corporation park in the locality.

Franklin began distancing from his wife soon after she fell sick and did not support her financially.

Apparently upset over this, Pushpalatha conveyed the issue to one of her husband's friends when he told her about his closeness with another woman.

Pushpalatha's suspicion became strong as he turned up home late in recent days.

The woman picked up a fight with him after she came to know about his illicit affair and asked him to part ways with the other woman.

Franklin refused to budge when she threatened to file a police complaint. "He went to the extent of telling her that she cannot book a case against him as the Supreme Court had ruled that extramarital affair was no more a crime," said an investigating officer.

Dejected over this, she decided to end her life and hanged herself when she was alone at home on Saturday night. One of the woman's relatives found her dead and alerted the MGR Nagar police.

The police were questioning Franklin.

As per the Supreme Court order, if adultery leads to a person's suicide, abetment of suicide charge can be slapped against the spouse responsible for it.