• Atul Subhash’s wife had demanded Rs 30 lakh to allow him to visit his son who is now four years old.
• Atul visited Jaunpur from Bangalore 40 times to attend court hearing.
• Supreme Court takes Cognizance of the Social Media uproad on Atul Subhash’s Suicide.
• NCRB Data shows rise in deaths amongst men due to matrimonial issues in the last few years.

The recent suicide of Atul Subhash should be an eye opener yet again. Though such cases had been rampant during the last decade, since the law was passed but thanks to the social media for highlighting the issue and bringing it in the eyes of the judiciary and the lawmakers. Perhaps this time atleast, the general public and the judiciary.

According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, in 2019, around 1.18 lakh Indians committed suicide. Out of which seventy five percent (around 80,000) of men have committed suicide and thirty seven percent of which had committed suicide due to matrimonial disputes. During the year 2021, about 1.2 lakh men had ended lives across the country. Out of them, around thirty three percent men took the extreme step owing to family disputes and legal pressures.

“Even the Supreme Court has said that this is a form of legal terrorism in which women are being weaponized. Men are not just sperm donors or ATM Machines. They have equal right over the child.”

The tragic death of Atul Subhash is a devastating reminder of the dire consequences of unchecked greed, emotional cruelty, and systemic apathy. Despite already paying substantial maintenance to his wife, Atul faced relentless financial demands and heartless remarks that pushed him to the brink. The reported insensitivity of a court judge further highlights the lack of support men often experience in such cases. This heartbreaking loss underscores the urgent need to address the flaws in India’s legal system and societal attitudes that fail to provide justice or safeguard the mental well-being of individuals in distress. The social media is now demanding accountability, fairness, and reforms to prevent such tragedies in the future.

Atul was a 34-year-old software engineer from Uttar Pradesh who died by suicide in Bengaluru. He worked as an AI/ML expert and was known to be involved in counseling male victims of false cases. His tragic death has sparked significant attention due to his detailed 24-page suicide note and a 90-minute video where he accused his wife, her family, and even judicial elements of harassment and corruption. He claimed to have faced nine false cases, including charges under various sections like murder, unnatural sex, and domestic violence, which were allegedly leveraged to demand a settlement of Rs 3 crore. His death note also highlighted systemic issues in the legal system, particularly regarding family courts and the treatment of men in such legal battles. His case has led to widespread discussions on social media about men’s rights and the misuse of gender-based laws in India.

“The law has given certain presumptions in favour of women because they felt that they need support but those presumptions if they are used by unscrupulous litigants then the man has to run from pillar to post”.

The question arises who is monitoring the law? Who is accountable for so many deaths and suicides only because of the misuse of law? Atul Subhash’s story speaks volumes about the broken legal system in our country.

As a matter of fact, Atul faced 120 court dates in a span of 2 years. Working in a multinational and getting only 23 holidays in a year, Atul attended 40 of them personally. So he had to travel from Bangaluru his work city to a court in Jaunpur in Uttar Pradesh. Readers can well understand the mental agony of a person if he has to go through this trauma. Interestingly, there were nine cases against him.

Senior Supreme Court lawyer Ishkaran Bhandari while speaking on the matter says: “The law has given certain presumptions in favour of women because they felt that they need support but those presumptions if they are used by unscrupulous litigants then the man has to run from pillar to post. Not taking action on perjury or false affidavits or fabrication as well as certain inherent protection to women under these laws which is exploited has resulted in today a very dangerous cocktail of these laws and this is just one case, we have a list of cases. Daily such tragedies are happening may not be so detailed but as bad if not worse.”

Men’s Right Activist Barkha Trehan says: “Atul is not the only case there are millions of others who are facing the wraths of the system. Even the Supreme Court has said that this is a form of legal terrorism in which women are being weaponized. Men are not just sperm donors or ATM Machines. They have equal right over the child.”   

Moreover, there has been a conspicuous silence from the parliamentarians who then never thought of the serious consequence on the misuse of the law. No body thought of the other side as what if women try to terrorize the men and their families after marriage? Till now, no politicians from across the party lines have uttered a single work either condemning the misuse of the law or promising to raise the matter in the ongoing parliament despite the fact that the Supreme Court has made observatory comments on the misuse yet again.

The post Atul Subhash’s Suicide Case ‘slapped’ the Judiciary first appeared on New Delhi Post.