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Journalism of Courage
The Supreme Court on Monday ruled that the custody of the minor son of Bengaluru techie Atul Subhash, who took his own life, will remain with his estranged wife Nikita Singhania, who is facing charges of abetting his suicide along with her family members.
A bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and S C Sharma made this decision while denying a request from Subhash’s mother Anju Devi to grant her the child’s custody.
During a hearing on January 7, Justice Nagarathna remarked that Anju Devi was “virtually a stranger to the child,” indicating a lack of familiarity between them.
The court wanted to interact with the child, who is said to be studying at a boarding school in Haryana. It also requested affidavits from the Haryana Government and Singhania on the child’s condition.
On Monday, Anju Devi’s counsel sought additional time in the matter, but the court declined and had a private online interaction with the child.
Anju Devi urged the court to grant her custody of her grandson, arguing that children of such a tender age should not be sent to a boarding school. She referred to the allegations that Singhania had a role in Subhash’s death. However, the court said Singhania has not yet been found guilty and that conclusions cannot be drawn based on media coverage of the case.
Atul Subhash, a resident of Munnekollal in southeast Bengaluru and originally from Uttar Pradesh, was found dead in his apartment on December 9, 2024. He married Nikita Singhania, also a software professional, in 2019, but they had since separated.
Before his death, he left behind a 24-page note and an 81-minute video alleging harassment by his estranged wife and her family. Subhash was facing nine cases, including under charges of attempt to murder, dowry harassment and unnatural sex, with some cases naming his parents as accused. In his death note, he also alleged that a family court judge in Uttar Pradesh was favouring his in-laws.
His brother Bikas Kumar filed a complaint against Nikita Singhania, her mother Nisha Singhania, brother Anurag Singhania and uncle Sushil Singhania, leading the Marathahalli police to book them for abetment to suicide. They are accused of demanding Rs 3 crore to withdraw cases against Subhash and Rs 30 lakh for visitation rights to see his son.
Nikita Singhania was arrested in Gurugram, Haryana, while her mother and brother were arrested in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, on December 15. A civil and sessions court in Bengaluru granted bail to the trio on January 4.
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