A woman getting abused by her in-laws for dowry is widespread in the subcontinent. Numerous laws have been there to protect women from this cruelty, but what happened when women used their power of security to threaten others? The case of Atul Subhash is a real-life example of such laws misuse and how they lead to someone’s death.
What Happened?
It all started on December 9, 2024, when Atul Subhash a 34 year old software engineer from Bengaluru, decided to end his miserable life. His wife’s false cases had damaged his mental health to such an extent that the only solution he found is to end his life.
On December 9, 2024, police find Atul Subhash’s body in his apartment along with a detailed 24-page-long death note and an 81-minute-long video. In this video, Atul Subhas accused his wife, Nikita Singhania, and her family of filing multiple fake cases against him. The cases include allegations of domestic violence, dowry harassment, and financial exploitation.
After Subhash’s death, the police network ran errands for the quick arrest of the accused. On 14 December 2024, they arrested Atul Subah’s wife, Nikita Singhania, in Gurugram, Haryana, and her mother, Nisha Singhania, and brother, Anurag Singhania, in Uttar Pradesh on charges of Abetment To Suicide. The three Nikita Singhania, her brother, and her mother were sent to jail for 14 days of judicial custody.
Reasons Behind Atul Subhash’s Suicide
But what are the factors that drive Atul to take such extreme measures?
Doesn’t he take judicial help before taking his life?
Yes, he knocked on every court door, but all his pleas fell on deaf ears. The judge demanded a bribe of 5 lakh Indian rupees from him to settle one of the cases. Until it is laid, the judge will write “JUSTICE DUE” on every page of his note.
The cruelty doesn’t end here. Her wife used their 4-year-old son to blackmail him. Atul is no longer allowed to meet his son, as his wife demanded that the monthly maintenance allowance of the child be increased to 2 lakhs Indian rupee while the court-mandated 80,000. Not only that, his wife, Nikita, demands a one-time alimony settlement of 30 million Indian rupees to settle the cases and also 3 million Indian rupees for giving visitation rights to his son.
Public Reaction On Atul Subhash Case
The case is still going on as Nikita denied all the allegations. Nikita claimed that because of Atul and his family’s dowry demand, her father died due to a heart attack. She also claimed that Atul beat her after drinking alcohol. But Atul denied all the allegations in his video. Police authorities are conducting an in-depth investigation into this. The Indian top-notch judges call it legal terrorism, as laws are intended to be used as a shield, not as an assassin’s weapon.
All men activists are gathering in different Indian cities and claiming to rewrite the clauses in Indian laws meant for women’s protection. Their most famous sayings include:
Men’s Rights Are Human Rights
Conclusion
Though it is true, we cannot deny the fact that still in India women face cruelty from their in-laws due to dowry. According to the National Crime Record Bureau, 35,943 brides were killed between 2022 and 2027 on dowry demand. It makes an average of 20 women per day. This is also happening, that too in the 20th century.
In 1983, for the first time, the anti-dowry law, section 489A of the Indian Penal Code, was introduced to protect women’s lives and give them protection. But all this started when women started to misuse their power. Thousands of men faced the fake cases of their wives and decided to end their lives like Atul.
But does removing the anti-dowry law from the law make things right?
No, it will never happen if 10 cases are filed daily on the cruelty of in-laws; maybe 3 are false, but the other 7 are true. These are the women who truly need help. So, we need to make law and our judicial system stronger. The one who does either men or women who make false cases must be held accountable and subjected to punishment as per law. Atul also mentioned the bribery system in court that also needs to address that even for justice prevalence we have to bribe; we need to pay money to prove we are true; that is ridiculous.
So, all in all, just depriving women of their protection rights is not a solution to all this mess. By making a strong, unbiased judicial system that does in-depth investigations before reaching out for conclusions, will do us good.
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