Atul Subhash suicide: Here's what Supreme Court said on misuse of cruelty laws in marital disputes

Following the outrage over the suicide of Bengaluru techie Atul Subhash, the Supreme Court pointed out that there is a "growing tendency to misuse" laws protecting women as tool for seeking vendetta against the husband or his relatives.

The apex court's observation was made while setting aside an order by the Telangana High Court that refused to quash a dowry harassament case against a man and his relatives.

The Supreme Court remarks comes amid outrage over the suicide of Bengaluru techie, Atul Subhash, 34, who left a 24-page death note and an 80-minute video.

The bench comprising Justice BV Nagarathna and Justice N Kotiswar Singh said that merely referring to family members in a criminal case arising out of a marital discord without concrete evidence should be nipped in the bud, adding that people often accuse all members of the husband's family when such disputes arise.

The Supreme Court asked courts to be cautious and prevent misuse of laws to avoid unnecessary harassment of innocent family members.

The apex court, however, pointed out that this does not mean that women who suffered cruelty should remain silent. It pointed out that laws to protect women was misused in the Telangana case.

Who was Atul Subhash and what happened to him?

Atul Subhash, hailing from Uttar Pradesh, was a senior executive at a Bengaluru firm. He was found dead at Manjunath Layout in Marathahalli and was living alone after being separated from his wife. 

Subhash's wife sought a settlement of Rs 3 crore following a marital dispute after filing a domestic violence case against him.

The techie alleged that his wife was using their four-year-old son to extort money from him and hung a placard that read "Justice is due" at his home. He sent his death note to several people via email and WhatsApp, besides listing information about his pending tasks.