Supreme Court awards custody of Atul Subhash's son to estranged wife Nikita Singhania

The Supreme Court has granted custody of the four-year-old son of Atul Subhash, a Bengaluru techie who tragically died by suicide in December, to his estranged wife, Nikita Singhania.

This decision came after a plea was filed by Anju Devi, the mother of Mr. Subhash, seeking custody of her grandson.

The ruling, made by Justices BV Nagarathna and SC Sharma, came after a brief video interaction with the child. The court concluded that the child should stay with his mother, emphasizing that the boy had not spent enough time with his grandmother.

The judges considered what was in the best interest of the child, taking into account his minimal bond with his maternal grandmother.

The legal battle began when Anju Devi filed a plea after her daughter-in-law, Nikita Singhania, and her family were accused of abetting Atul Subhash's death. Although Singhania, along with her mother and brother, was initially arrested on these charges, they were later granted bail.

In a prior hearing, Ms. Singhania informed the court that her son was attending a boarding school in Faridabad, Haryana, but she planned to move with him to Bengaluru to meet bail conditions.

Justice Nagarathna acknowledged that while Anju Devi's concerns were valid, custody matters were better suited to a lower court with jurisdiction over family-related cases. The judge also remarked that the child was "practically a stranger" to the grandmother.

Background

Atul Subhash and Nikita Singhania married in 2019 and had their son in 2020. Their relationship deteriorated in 2021, and in 2022, Ms. Singhania filed a case against her husband and his family.

Atul Subhash was found dead on December 9, 2024, in his Bengaluru apartment, leaving behind a heartbreaking 81-minute video and a 24-page suicide note. In the note, he accused Nikita Singhania and her family of harassment and attempting to extort ₹3 crore from him.

The case has sparked a nationwide conversation about the possible abuse of legal protections meant to safeguard women, as well as concerns about the potential weaponization of such laws.

The court's decision has been met with mixed reactions. Some have welcomed the emphasis on the child’s best interests, while others call for further investigation into the serious allegations made by Atul Subhash before his death.