Mumbai: The suicide of Bengaluru techie Atul Subhash, who cited alleged harassment by his estranged wife, has sparked a debate over the abuse of anti-dowry laws. Mumbai-based lawyer Abha Singh called the case a "serious misuse of the law," pointing out that false accusations and harassment from the victim's wife and in-laws contributed to his tragic death.
Singh further stressed that the exploitation of dowry laws could ultimately prevent justice for individuals who truly require legal protection. "Dowry laws, being made to protect women should not be misused because if some women are going to misuse these laws, then it will directly deny justice to women who need them," said the lawyer.
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Mumbai lawyer Abha Singh said, " A 34-year-old young techie Atul Subash committed suicide in Bengaluru and he has left behind a suicide note. He has mentioned that 9 Police complaints have been registered against him, there are false charges of murder, dowry harassment and domestic violence. The suicide note says that it was not true and the man was paying his wife Rs 2 lakhs and despite that she was not letting him see his son and his son was being used as a tool of blackmailing him."
"The suicide note says that he was forced to give expensive gifts to not only his wife but also to his wife's mother and brother. A case of abetment to suicide must be registered against the wife and her relatives. They should be arrested," said Singh.
"These false cases were registered in Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh. An FIR should be registered against the police officers as well for making false cases. This is because the wife has accepted that her father had died of a heart attack and not murder. So a person dying of a heart attack and the police writing down murder clearly shows that this is a travesty of justice and a gross misuse of law," she added.
The lawyer further said, "Blackmailing a person to commit suicide is deplorable, and shameful. My heart goes out to the mother of the deceased who lost her son and his 4-year-old child, who will not know his father, just because his greedy mother had other plans for him... Dowry laws, being made to protect women should not be misused because then if some women are going to misuse these laws, then it will directly deny justice to women who actually need them," said Singh.
Meanwhile, Delhi-based men's rights activist Barkha Trehan stated that Atul Subhash was let down by the system, which ultimately led to his tragic suicide. "Atul Subhash is not the first man, lakhs of such men have died. 34-year-old Atul Subhash was compelled, the system failed him. There is a lot of biasedness in the system, only women are heard and not men. Men are tortured and threatened. All this, also from educated women. There is nobody to listen to their plights," said Trehan. "Cases under (IPC) section 498 are deliberately registered against men and the Supreme Court has observed that 95 per cent of these cases are fake. Laws made for women's safety are being used as weapons," said the activist.
Meanwhile, an FIR has been lodged against four individuals in relation to the suicide of 34-year-old Atul Subhash, a deputy general manager at a private firm, accusing his wife, her relatives, and a judge of harassment, extortion, and corruption.
The FIR, filed by Atul's brother Bikas Kumar, was registered at the Marathahalli police station in Bengaluru. It includes charges under section 108 (abetment of suicide) and section 3(5) (joint criminal liability for coordinated actions) of the BNS. The accused are Atul’s wife Nikita Singhania, her mother Nisha Singhania, her brother Anurag Singhania, and her uncle Sushil Singhania.
Details of FIR and allegations
According to the complaint, Atul Subhash married Nikita in 2019, and the couple had a child together. After their divorce, the four accused allegedly filed a false case against Atul and demanded Rs 3 crore for settlement.
The complaint further alleges that Nikita demanded Rs 30 lakh from Atul to allow him to visit their now four-year-old son. It is claimed that Atul was subjected to severe mental and physical harassment, which led to his tragic suicide. Based on the complaint, an investigation has been initiated.
In a statement, police confirmed that Atul, a resident of Uttar Pradesh, was living in Bengaluru. The Hoysala Police Control Room received a call at 6:00 am on Monday reporting a suicide in a flat at Manjunatha Layout in the Delfinium Residency. The statement further stated that when the police went to search the place, the flat was locked from inside, and the lock was broken, following which they went inside and saw Atul hanging from a ceiling fan by the support of a nylon rope. The police stated that he was found dead upon arrival.
The police informed the incident to the brother of the deceased, Bikas Kumar, who later filed a complaint against Subhash's wife, his mother-in-law, his brother-in-law, and his wife's uncle, accusing them of filing a false complaint against Subhash and demanding Rs 3 crore money for the settlement, which led to his mental and physical harassment, following which he had to take the step.
Subhash's suicide note
In his suicide note, Subhash called for justice, stating, "Justice is Due" on every single page of the 24-page note. Along with his wife and her family members, Subhash also accused a family court judge in Uttar Pradesh's Jaunpur of not hearing him out, and an officer in the court, accusing him of taking bribes in front of the judge.
Subhash further described the instances that instigated him to take such a step. Subhash recorded a video describing his alleged harassment and asking his family members not to immerse his ashes till justice is served to him. His suicide note also had a message for his four-year-old son who he claimed had been kept estranged from him. The note also called for his parents to be given custody of his child.
The note and the link to the Video were sent to the WhatsApp group of an NGO, to which he was connected. Subhash alleged in his suicide note that his wife had filed nine cases against him, including murder, sexual misconduct, harassment for money, domestic violence, and dowry.
Agency
Published: 11 Dec 2024, 11:02 am IST
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