Allahabad HC grants anticipatory bail to Sushil Singhania in Atul Subhash suicide case
Prayagraj, Dec 16: The Allahabad High Court on Monday granted anticipatory bail to Sushil Singhania, uncle of Nikita Singhania, in the suicide case of Artificial Intelligence engineer Atul Subhash.
The order was passed by Justice Ashutosh Srivastava who was hearing an anticipatory bail filed by Atul's wife Nikita Singhania and in-laws.
Nikita Singhania was arrested from Gurugram, Haryana, while her mother Nisha Singhania and brother Anurag Singhania were picked up from Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj for abetting Subhash's suicide, a Bengaluru Police official said.
They were arrested on Saturday morning, brought to Bengaluru and sent to 14-days judicial custody after being produced before a local court, he said.
In the Allahabad High Court, senior counsel Manish Tiwary, at the very outset, submitted that the wife, mother-in-law and brother-in-law of the deceased have already been arrested by the Bengaluru City Police and the present anticipatory bail application is being pressed on behalf of the applicant Sushil Singhania alone.
It was argued that the arrests have been made on the basis of alleged suicide note and a video which have gone viral over the internet. Sushil Singhania is facing the media trial of the highest level, it was argued.
It was also submitted that Sushil Singhania is an elderly person of 69 years of age and has a chronic medical condition. He is virtually incapacitated and there is no question of him abetting the suicide, it was further submitted.
It was also argued that there is a distinction between abetment and harassment and if the suicide note is taken on its face value, the allegations levelled at most would be taken to be harassment for implicating the deceased in false cases and extracting huge sums of money.
In any case, the offence suicide under Section 108, 3(5) of the BNS cannot be said to be made out, it was argued.
It has also been argued that the Sushil Singhania be granted protection for reasonable time so that he is in a position to place his version before the court and the authorities concerned and take recourse to remedy available to him under the law before the court in the state of Karnataka from where the FIR emanates.
After hearing the counsels for the parties, the court observed, "Considering the above, the court is of the opinion that applicant Sushil Singhania is entitled to get the privilege of pre-arrest (Transit) Anticipatory."
"Accordingly, it is directed that in the event of arrest of the applicant in connection with the case crime no. 0682 of 2024 under Section 108, 3(5) of the BNS, Police Station Marathahalli, Bangaluru City, he shall be released on anticipatory bail in the aforesaid case till the submission of police report, if any under section 173 (2) CrPC on furnishing a personal bond of Rs 50,000 with two sureties each in the like amount to the satisfaction of the Magistrate/Court concerned," the court said.
The court also imposed some conditions like the applicant shall make himself available for interrogation by a police officer as and when required. He shall not directly or indirectly make any inducement, threat or promise to any person acquainted with the facts of the case so as to dissuade from disclosing such facts to the court or to any police office and he shall not leave India without the previous permission of the court.
If the applicant has a passport, it shall be deposited by him before the SSP or SP concerned, the court said.
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Karnataka Muslim Convention to be held in Bengaluru on May 16
Muslim organisations to release report on Congress govt’s three-year performance
Bengaluru: Major Muslim organisations and federations in Karnataka have decided to organise a large public convention titled ‘Karnataka Muslim Convention’ at Town Hall in Bengaluru on May 16. During the convention, a comprehensive report reviewing the three-year performance of the Congress government under the theme “What did the Congress government promise? What did it do? What next?” will be released.
According to a statement issued on Friday, no politicians will be invited to the convention. The report will be submitted to the government and all MLAs after the event.
The convention is being held at a time when the Congress government is nearing the completion of three years in office on May 20. Muslim organisations have expressed dissatisfaction, alleging that despite extending strong support to the Congress in bringing it to power, the community is being neglected.
The Convention is being organised at time when there are concerns over inadequate political representation for Muslims, alleged neglect of community demands, and the suspension of senior Muslim leaders who had worked for the party for decades.
The organisers said the convention aims to raise questions on what the Congress government has delivered so far and what further steps are expected from the government.
The decision to hold the convention was taken during a meeting held on May 6 at A J International Hotel in Shivajinagar, Bengaluru. Representatives of major Muslim organisations, associations, ulema bodies, federations, and members of the ad hoc committee of Karnataka Rajya Muslim Okkoota attended the meeting.
More than 75 representatives and delegates, including senior ulemas, jamaat leaders, lawyers, retired officials, journalists and members of the KRMO ad hoc committee, participated in the discussions.
Members of the KRMO ad hoc committee’s report preparation team and experts from different sectors presented a detailed report on the Congress government’s three-year performance. The report examined promises made to Muslims on ten major issues, the extent to which they were fulfilled, pending promises, alleged discrimination in representation, and the demands now being placed before the government.
The report covered issues such as the hijab ban, reservation cancellation, hate speech and hate crimes, budget allocation, political representation, waqf matters, the anti-cow slaughter law, anti-conversion law, scholarships and educational grants.
Participants offered suggestions and recommendations on various points, and necessary corrections to the report were accepted after detailed discussions.
The meeting also reportedly expressed strong dissatisfaction over the manner in which the Congress government has treated the Muslim community. Participants are said to have opined that if the government and the Congress party continue in the same manner, the community should keep its political options open.
It was later decided that the report would be officially released at the large public convention on May 16 under the title “Karnataka Muslim Convention – What did the Congress government promise? What did it do? What next?”
The organisers appealed to people from all districts of the state to participate in large numbers and send a strong message to the government and the Congress party through the convention.
They also decided that all organisations, jamaats and associations should work towards ensuring participation from every district in Karnataka.
The statement reiterated that no politicians would be invited to the May 16 convention and that the report on the Congress government’s three-year performance would be submitted to the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister, ministers and MLAs after the event.
