New Delhi
The four-year-old son of Bengaluru tech engineer Atul Subhash, who committed suicide after accusing his wife of harassment, will live with his mother Nikita Singhania. The Supreme Court has handed over the custody of the child to the mother. This decision of the court has shocked his grandmother Anju Devi, who is demanding the custody of the child. He had filed a petition demanding the custody of his four-year-old grandson. Before this, Justice B.V. As soon as the hearing started, the bench of Justice Nagarathna and Justice Satish Chandra Sharma ordered to present Atul Subhash’s four-year-old son in the court within half an hour.
Justice Nagarathna directed the counsel for Atul Subhash’s wife Nikita Singhania to produce the child in 30 minutes through video link. This is the second time the court has sought to see the boy. Earlier this month, Singhania’s lawyer had told the court that the child was studying in a boarding school in Faridabad, Haryana and would be taken to Bengaluru with his mother.
Advocate Kumar Dushyant Singh, representing Anju Devi, had sought custody of the child and alleged that her estranged daughter-in-law was keeping the whereabouts of the child hidden from her. He had argued that a child below the age of six years should not be sent to a boarding school and had referred to photographs which showed the petitioner interacting with the child when he was only a few years old. After this, the court had directed to present the child in the court on the next hearing on January 20 and said that the case cannot be decided on the basis of ‘media trial’ (debate in the media).
Today, when the child was not produced, Justice Nagarathna expressed his displeasure and ordered him to be produced through video link within 30 minutes. Later the court handed over the custody of the child to the child’s mother Nikita Singhania. When the hearing began today, the petitioner sought a week’s time to file a detailed affidavit but Justice Nagarathna rejected any such request and said, “This is a habeas corpus (petition)… We want to see the child want. Introduce the child within half an hour. The court will hear the matter after some time…”
Let us tell you that on December 9 last year, 34 year old Atul Subhash was found hanging in his house in Bengaluru. In the long ‘suicide note’, Subhash had reportedly blamed his wife and in-laws for forcing him to take the extreme step. Singhania and his family members – his mother Nisha; And brother Anurag – is accused of instigating Atul Subhash to commit suicide. Both were arrested and later granted bail.
