Dead techie Atul Subhash’s mother moved to the Supreme Court to locate and obtain custody of her four-year-old grandson. Subash had reportedly died by his own hands on December 9 with written and video messages to his wife, accusing his wife and their in-laws of constant harassment and false allegations made against him.
Anju Modi, Subhash’s mother, has filed a habeas corpus plea claiming her grandson’s location remains unknown. Nikita Singhania, the estranged wife of Subhash and currently under judicial custody along with her family, is alleged not to have revealed the child’s whereabouts. Nikita had informed the authorities that the boy was in a Faridabad boarding school, being taken care of by her uncle, Sushil Singhania. Sushil, however, denies having any knowledge about the child’s location.
Atul Subhash mother’s plea to be heard on January 7
A Supreme Court bench headed by Justices BV Nagarathna and N Kotiswar Singh has issued notices to the state governments of Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, and Haryana seeking clarification on the boy’s whereabouts. The case will next come up on January 7.
The case has witnessed significant legal developments. On December 16, Nikita Singhania, her mother Nisha, and brother Anurag were arrested on charges of abetting Subhash’s suicide, according to evidence in his video and suicide note. Singhania’s family denies the charge, but judicial custody of the accused has been further extended.
Sushil Singhania, Nikita’s uncle, on the other hand, moved pre-arrest bail before the Allahabad High Court as a parallel measure, which granted him conditional pre-arrest bail for “advanced age and health”. He has to surrender his passport and cooperate with investigations by the police.
Subhash’s family, on the other hand, claims harassment continues at the hands of Nikita’s family and demands justice. Subhash’s father, Pawan Kumar, had vowed not to immerse his son’s ashes till the family is cleared of what they describe as false legal cases. “Our fight for justice will not stop until we find my grandson and the truth comes out,” he said.
The case has raised issues of safety and well-being of the child. “We fear for his safety. We need to know where he is and ensure he is protected,” said Subhash’s brother, Bikas Kumar.
Also, see: Wife of techie Atul Subhash, her mother, and brother arrested