The order was issued by Justice Ashutosh Srivastava while hearing an anticipatory bail plea filed by Atul’s wife, Nikita Singhania, and her in-laws.
The Allahabad High Court on Monday granted anticipatory bail to Sushil Singhania, the uncle of Nikita Singhania, in the suicide case of Artificial Intelligence engineer Atul Subhash.
Justice Ashutosh Srivastava passed the order while hearing an anticipatory bail plea filed by Atul’s wife, Nikita Singhania, and her in-laws.
According to a Bengaluru Police official, Nikita Singhania was arrested in Gurugram, Haryana, while her mother, Nisha Singhania, and brother, Anurag Singhania, were detained in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, for allegedly abetting Subhash’s suicide.
They were arrested on Saturday morning, brought to Bengaluru, and remanded to 14-day judicial custody after being presented before a local court, a police official said.
In the Allahabad High Court, senior counsel Manish Tiwary submitted at the outset that the wife, mother-in-law, and brother-in-law of the deceased had already been arrested by the Bengaluru City Police, and the current anticipatory bail plea pertained solely to the applicant, Sushil Singhania.
It was argued that the arrests were based on an alleged suicide note and a video that had gone viral on the internet, and Sushil Singhania was being subjected to an intense media trial.
The counsel further submitted that Sushil Singhania, a 69-year-old elderly man with a chronic medical condition, is virtually incapacitated, leaving no question of his involvement in abetting the suicide.
Additionally, it was argued that there is a clear distinction between abetment and harassment. Even if the suicide note is taken at face value, the allegations, at most, amount to harassment for allegedly implicating the deceased in false cases and extracting large sums of money.
It was argued that the offence of suicide under Section 108, 3(5) of the BNS cannot be said to be established in this case.
The counsel further requested that Sushil Singhania be granted protection for a reasonable period, allowing him to present his version before the court and relevant authorities and seek legal remedies in Karnataka, where the FIR originated.
After hearing arguments from both sides, the court observed: “Considering the above, the court is of the opinion that applicant Sushil Singhania is entitled to the privilege of pre-arrest (transit) anticipatory bail.”
The court directed that in the event of his arrest in connection with Case Crime No. 0682 of 2024 under Section 108, 3(5) of the BNS at Marathahalli Police Station, Bengaluru City, Sushil Singhania shall be released on anticipatory bail until the submission of a police report, if any, under Section 173(2) CrPC. This is subject to furnishing a personal bond of ₹50,000 with two sureties of the same amount to the satisfaction of the Magistrate or court concerned.
The court also imposed certain conditions, including that the applicant must make himself available for interrogation by a police officer whenever required. He must not directly or indirectly induce, threaten, or promise anyone acquainted with the case facts to prevent them from disclosing information to the court or the police. Additionally, he shall not leave India without prior permission from the court.
The court further directed that if the applicant holds a passport, it must be deposited with the concerned SSP or SP.