Atul Subhash, originally from Bihar, was settled in Marathahalli, Bangalore. He was holding a top leadership role in a tech company and was married in 2019 to Nikita Singhania. Later in 2020 he was blessed with a son but was separated in 2021 due to divorce from his wife. On 9th December, 2024, suddenly, he was found dead in his house, with a 24-page suicide note and video, in which he accused his wife, her family members, and even the court judge of harassment, and he claimed that they were fully responsible for his suicide.
Later, the next day, his brother, Bikas Kumar, filed a FIR at Marathahalli Police Station against Nikita, her mother, brother, and uncle. What made Atul commit suicide, and why is the judge responsible?
In the 24-page suicide note, many things are claimed, starting from 2021, when both Atul and Nikita divorced, citing irreconcilable differences, but Atul claims that Nikita was spending and giving too much money to her brother, particularly, and her family. When he noticed, he questioned her, which made her file for divorce.
That was his claim, but as per the Indian judicial system, no more than what the child under 18 would and must be under mother’s circumstance, so Atul’s one-year-old son was handed over to Nikita, but it is ridiculous in this case due to Nikita being dependent on her husband’s alimony. Atul would be the best person to take care of his son, because he is capable of doing so, but Nikita should ask Atul for childcare also.
Nikita Side:
Later, after the divorce, Nikita filed multiple cases against Atul regarding the unnatural intercoastal relationship, and Atul’s family demanded 10 lakhs as dowry. She claimed, “My husband started to beat me up after drinking alcohol and started treating the husband-wife relationship with me like a beast. He used to transfer my entire salary from my account to his account by threatening me.” Nikita’s complaint was registered in Uttar Pradesh under IPC section 498A (cruelty by husband or relatives), 323 (assault), 504 (intentional insult to provoke breach of peace), and 506 (criminal intimidation), along with sections of the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961.
Atul, to battle these cases, traveled 40 times from Bangalore to UP, which affected his job and personal life. This mark is a ridiculous part of the Indian judicial system; even if Nikita’s allegations were true, it would happen in Bangalore, mostly under the Karnataka judicial system. So technical, the UP court should have transferred the case to the Karnataka judicial body.
Atul felt that the Bangalore High Court was much better than the UP local court because he didn’t want to travel, which would affect his job. His wife can travel to Bangalore, and she is jobless; the only concern would be travel expenses, which she can manage under Atul’s alimony. It was a court mistake to not transfer the case.
Atul claims:
In the video, Atul claimed that his wife and her family were demanding 30 lakhs to see his son and alimony of 3 crores, which he can’t afford to pay. Later in the video he accused Rita Kaushik, Judge of the Jaunpur Principal Family Court, of corruption and bias toward men. He confessed in front of the court that his experience with the legal system was biased toward men, and he felt suicidal; in return, his wife responded, saying, “Then go die.” Everyone in court laughed, including Rita; later, Rita told Nikita to be quiet.
In conclusion, both sides claim that now Atul is dead because he claims that Rita Kaushik, Nikita, her brother, mother, and uncle are fully responsible for his suicide. Recently, in the Karnataka High Court, a divorced woman asked for 6 lakhs per month as alimony, where the judge dismissed the case. If Atul’s claims are true of 3 crores in alimony, he would have preferred Karnataka HC over Jaunpur Court, because this 6 lakhs alimony case would have made him believe that if his case was in Karnataka HC, it would have been dismissed at the cost of the first hearing. These two things address the Indian judicial system being more favored to women and quick decisions.
A famous theory from Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. called the Bad Man Theory suggests that lawyers will exploit legal loopholes to benefit their clients. In India, sensitive issues of women’s safety led to giving too much power to women’s requests, and it follows the Bad Man Theory. Hence, the Indian SC must conduct a comprehensive study on these issues.
Family courts are formed to solve the cases more quickly than civil courts from quote Justice delayed is justice denied, but more dangerous is hurried justice, which is buried. Most family courts are pressured from society for a quick verdict where justice is buried. Imagine if Nikita played the victim card and a quick decision was made. So, SC must also ensure that societal pressure doesn’t affect the court victim, because society is biased, often believing in fake news like Tripathi Laddu issues, rather than finding the truth.
