Published 17:39 IST, January 20th 2025
Techie Atul Subhash's Son To Stay With His Mother, Supreme Court Orders
The Supreme Court ruled on Monday evening that custody of the four-year-old son of Atul Subhash will remain with his mother, Anju Devi.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court ruled on Monday evening that custody of the four-year-old son of Atul Subhash, a Bengaluru techie who died by suicide in December, and Nikita Singhania, his estranged wife accused by him of harassment, will remain with his mother, Anju Devi.
The verdict was delivered by Justice BV Nagarathna and Justice SC Sharma in response to a plea from Anju Devi, who sought custody of the child.
The decision was made after the judges spoke with the boy via video link.
At the start of the hearing, the petitioner requested a week's time to submit a detailed affidavit. However, Justice Nagarathna denied the request, stating, "This is a habeas corpus petition... we want to see the child. Produce the child. The court will take up the matter after some time."
Following a 45-minute recess, the child appeared via video link. To protect his identity, the court went offline, except for the link to the child, during the interaction.
Earlier this month, Ms. Singhania informed the court that the boy was enrolled at a boarding school in Faridabad, Haryana , but would be withdrawn to move with his mother to Bengaluru.
‘Will Take Child to Bengaluru’
"We will take the child to Bengaluru... We have withdrawn the boy from school. The mother needs to stay in Bengaluru to meet the bail conditions," her lawyer stated.
Following this, a bench comprising Justice Nagarathna and Justice N Kotiswar Singh directed that the child be presented at the next hearing.
Ms. Singhania, along with her mother, Nisha, and brother, Anurag, is facing charges of abetting the suicide of 34-year-old Atul Subhash. All three were arrested but have since been granted bail.
Following Ms. Singhania's arrest, Ms. Devi moved to the Supreme Court seeking custody of her grandson. Meanwhile, Pawan Kumar, the father of Mr. Subhash, also publicly demanded custody of the child.
The petition alleged that Ms. Singhania and her family had not revealed the child's whereabouts. At the time, Ms. Singhania stated that the boy was with her uncle, Sushil Singhania.
However, he later denied knowing the child's whereabouts. The court then directed the governments of Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, and Haryana to provide clarification on the matter.
The court also observed that the boy had spent very little time with his grandmother.
"Unfortunately, the child is a stranger to the petitioner," remarked Justice Nagarathna, while noting that the issue of custody would need to be addressed by an appropriate lower court first.
Atul Subhash and Nikita Singhania were married in 2019, and their son was born in 2020. In 2021, following an altercation, Ms. Singhania left the couple’s home in Bengaluru. In 2022, she filed a case against Mr. Subhash and his family.
After two years of disputes, Mr. Subhash died by suicide at his Bengaluru apartment on December 9.
In an 81-minute video and a 24-page suicide note, he accused Ms. Singhania and her family of filing false cases against him and his parents in an attempt to extort ₹3 crore.
He also claimed that the justice system is biased in favor of women in such cases. The incident sparked anger and discussions about the misuse of laws meant to protect women from abuse by their husbands or in-laws.
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Updated 17:39 IST, January 20th 2025