The news of a 34-year-old tech professional from Bengaluru, Atul Subhash committing suicide after being harassed by his wife, her family, and even the judge overlooking the case has led to a lot of outrage and protests.
Shock and anger further grew after a 20-page suicide note and a 90-minute long video became public where he listed out exactly what he was suffering through all this time and why he had taken this step.
What Is The Atul Subhash Case?
On Monday, Subhash, hailing from Uttar Pradesh was found dead at his residence in Bengaluru and investigators found systematic checklists on his wall “Before Last Day,” “Last Day,” and “Execute Last Moment” while his suicide note was called “Justice is due.”
In his suicide note, Subhash explained in explicit detail about the legal battle his wife had started that included allegations of unnatural sex, dowry harassment, murder and more. In one case his wife Nikita alleged that her father died in 2019 due to shock from the dowry demands of Rs. 10 lakh that Atul was making.
This was proven false during cross-examination though with the actual reason being that the death was due to a heart condition.
In the note, he also wrote about how Nikita demanded Rs. 2 lakh in maintenance on behalf of his minor son, increasing to Rs. 1 crore and then eventually to Rs. 3 crore.
What Does The Suicide Note Allege?
Among the harassment Subhash was receiving from his wife, he also pointed to the name of a family court judge in his suicide letter commenting on how she laughed when his wife asked him why he hadn’t committed suicide and even asked for a bribe.
In a page called “Instances of Instigation of Suicide,” Subhash wrote how the judge asked him for a bribe of Rs 5 lakh when he asked her for a solution on what to do since he didn’t have the amount of money his wife was demanding.
In the letter, he wrote that the judge allegedly said, “Hum adjust karayenge, mai Rs 5 lakh lungi, aur mai settle kara dungi. Issi court me sab settle ho jayega. Bahut hi reasonable amount hai, itna paisa kamate ho tum. Nikita bhi adjust karegi. Nahi to jeewan bhar tum aur tumhare maa baap court kacheri ke chakkar kaat te rahenge.”
Read More: “Learn To Live With Sexual Harassment,” Female Judge Writes To CJI Wanting Permission To End Life
What Was The Supreme Court’s Comment?
On Tuesday, a Supreme Court bench led by Justices B V Nagarathna and Kotiswar Singh made some comments about the “growing tendency to misuse provisions like Section 498A of the Indian Penal Code… as a tool for unleashing personal vendetta against the husband and his family by a wife”.
The bench said, “The inclusion of Section 498A of the IPC by way of an amendment was intended to curb cruelty inflicted on a woman by her husband and his family, ensuring swift intervention by the State. However, in recent years, as there has been a notable rise in matrimonial disputes across the country, accompanied by growing discord and tension within the institution of marriage, consequently, there has been a growing tendency to misuse provisions like Section 498A of the IPC as a tool for unleashing personal vendetta against the husband and his family by a wife.”
They also added, “making vague and generalised allegations during matrimonial conflicts, if not scrutinised, will lead to the misuse of legal processes and an encouragement for use of arm-twisting tactics by a wife and/or her family”.
However, something noticed by netizens was that there was no mention of the judge or the accusations of bribery and insensitive behaviour shown by the judge who has been named in Atul’s suicide note.
What Is Being Done For Judicial Corruption?
This raises several questions about what action, if any, is being taken against the judge. While there have been reports about the judge’s identity, there hasn’t been much news, at least in the public sphere, about whether any investigation is taking place into the judge and her part in this case.
There have been theories that even if some investigation could take place, it would probably be very hush-hush and not be known to the public. Several netizens have also commented on how this case has shed light on the issue of judicial corruption in India and how judges are not being kept in check.
In another letter addressed to the President of India Droupadi Murmu, the victim called out the Indian judiciary and how there was so much corruption in the sector and that “Today Indian courts have become the breeding ground of open corruption.”
He also wrote, “Today, the Indian judiciary has crossed all its limits and is trying to usurp powers of every entity without any accountability. India might become the first country to be under Judicial dictatorship.”
Subhash further added, “In this new Varna System, Brahmins are these Judges who keep on appointing their kins which are much more corrupt, privileged and lack respect for democracy and law. They want to control everything. They will keep trying to mislead people with everything to keep their thrones safe. They have weaponized their positions of power to undermine everything we hold dear and respect including meritocracy, hard work, freedom, free speech, children, taxpayer’s hard-earned money, unbiased justice etc.”
In another screenshot from Atul’s letter, he explained exactly what the process of corruption was with the judge.
Atul’s brother Bikas also reportedly spoke out against corruption saying, “I want my brother to get justice. I want this country to have a legal process through which even men can get justice. I want strict action against those who are sitting on a legal chair and doing corruption because if this continues then how will people expect justice.”
Ankit Gupta, an advocate at Tees Hajari also posted on X/Twitter, “One tragic suicide in Bengaluru raises serious questions about judicial accountability. It’s time to rethink the opaque Collegium system. Let us revisit NJAC, a much-needed reform proposed by the late Hon’ble Arun Jaitley ji, one of the finest legal minds.”
As per Mirror Now, a Supreme Court Advocate Alakh Alok Srivastava has also written a letter to the CJI & Allahabad HC in the Bengaluru suicide case saying, “I have demanded action against Principal Judge, Jaunpur court in view of serious allegations of corruption, bribery & harassment by Atul Subhash.”
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Sources: India Today, The Economic Times, Mint
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