New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday (January 20) allowed the minor child of Bengaluru-based techie Atul Subhash, who committed suicide alleging mental harassment by his wife and in-laws, to stay with his mother for now after brief interaction with the child.
The minor child was produced before a bench comprising Justice BV Nagarathna and Justice Satish Chandra Sharma on Monday after the top court directed the estranged wife of the techie to produce the minor child before it.
Apex court was hearing deceased techie’s mother’s habeas corpus petition
The bench, which was hearing deceased techie’s mother Anju Modi’s habeas corpus plea seeking custody of her four-year-old grandson, earlier asked the lawyer appearing for Nikita Singhania, Atul’s estranged wife, to produce the child through video-conferencing.
“This is a habeas corpus petition. We want to see the child. Produce the child,” the bench told Nikita’s lawyer.
The lawyer told the bench that the child would be produced before the court within 30 minutes.
Counsel urged bench to protect identity of the child
The minor child was later produced before the court and Nikita’s counsel urged the bench to protect the identity of the child, following which the minor child appeared before the court on a video link in an in-camera proceedings.
During the hearing earlier, the bench was informed by Nikita’s counsel that the child has been taken out of the school in Haryana and is currently residing with the mother.
The apex court on January 7 denied minor’s custody to Atul’s mother, saying she was “stranger to the child”. The bench further said that the issue of the custody of the minor will have to be taken up before the appropriate court where the trial is on.
Nikita’s counsel also informed the top court on January 7 that the minor child was studying at a boarding school in Haryana and the child has been taken out from that school and will be taken to Bengaluru, where the mother of the child has to remain to fulfil the bail conditions.
Techie committed suicide in Bengaluru
Atul left behind a 24-page purported death note and a video message in which he spoke about the emotional distress he allegedly went through arising out of matrimonial issues, multiple cases getting lodged against him and harassment by his wife and relatives and an Uttar Pradesh-based judge hearing cases related to his matrimonial disputes. The couple had a son in 2020.
Bengaluru court granted bail to Nikita, her mother and brother
A case of abetment of suicide was registered by the Bengaluru Police against Nikita, her mother, brother and her uncle Sushil Singhania on a complaint lodged by the brother of deceased Atul. Nikita, her mother and her brother were later arrested by the police and brought to Bengaluru after their arrest in the case and they were sent to 14-day judicial custody after being produced before a local court. They were later granted bail by a Bengaluru court on January 4.
