A police report (FIR) has been registered against four people in connection with the suicide of 34-year-old Bengaluru techie Atul Subhash, who accused his wife, her relatives and a judge of harassment, extortion and corruption before his death.
Based on a complaint by Mr Atul’s brother Bikas Kumar at the Marathahalli police station in Bengaluru, the FIR includes charges under section 108 and section 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the official criminal code in India.
The accused are Mr Subhash’s wife Nikita Singhania, mother-in-law Nisha Singhania, brother-in-law Anurag Singhania and wife’s uncle Sushil Singhania.
Mr Subhash, employed at a private company, left a detailed 24-page note describing years of emotional distress from marital problems, reported the Times of India. In his suicide note, he accused a family court judge in Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh, of dismissing his pleas, and alleged that a court officer openly accepted bribes.
Authorities found Mr Subhash’s body at his Manjunath Layout residence in Bengaluru on Monday, with a placard stating “Justice is due”. He recorded an 80-minute video on the website Rumble explaining his decision, which subsequently went viral.
“I feel that I should kill myself because the money I earn is making my enemies stronger. That same money will be used to destroy me, and this cycle will keep going,” Mr Subhash said in the video.
His uncle Pawan Kumar alleged harassment over financial demands, stating the wife’s family initially requested Rs40,000 monthly, which increased to Rs1 lakh.
“His wife even said that he should commit suicide if he cannot pay the amount – to which the judge also laughed. This really hurt him,” PTI quoted Mr Kumar as saying.
Ms Nikita’s uncle Sushil denied involvement, stating: “I came to know that I am also named in the FIR. I am innocent. I wasn’t even there. We got to know about his suicide through the media. None of our family members were present at the scene of incident.
“The case went on in the court for the last three years and during this time, we did not have any communication with him or his family. We are not at fault.”
Police investigations revealed ongoing marital disputes and a case filed against Mr Subhash in Uttar Pradesh. Before his death, he distributed his note via e-mail and shared it with an NGO WhatsApp group.
The death note reportedly mentions that Mr Subhash got married in 2019 and that the couple had a son the following year.
“I want my brother to get justice,” his brother Bikas told PTI. “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.”
Mr Bikas expressed concerns about systemic corruption, noting that justice requires an unbiased system where all parties receive fair hearings based on facts.
“People can expect justice only when decisions are made on the basis of facts, and if it does not happen, then people will slowly start losing faith in the judicial system.
“It may lead to a situation where people are afraid to get married. Men may start feeling that if they get married, they will just end up being an ATM machine,” he said.
Bengaluru police have dispatched teams to Uttar Pradesh to question Ms Nikita and her family.
The case has also reignited debates about the pressures faced by individuals caught in prolonged legal battles, particularly those involving family disputes and financial demands.
It has also brought allegations of harassment, extortion and abuse of law and authority to national focus.
