The recent suicide of Atul Subhash, a 34-year-old Bengaluru-based software engineer, has brought attention to the extreme and devastating misuse of existing legal pro-visions. It reveals extreme corruption and inefficiency in the judicial system in India and shows how the prolonged legal battles impact the mental health of individuals.

It is not only about Atul Subhas but about lakhs of innocent men who are caught in traps which lead to tragic loss. Recent data released by National Crime Records Bureau also shows a significant increase in suicide rates among men. The alarming suicide rate among men and incidents like Subhas’ tragic demise are a wake-up call for the nation to address critical issues in our judicial and legislative frameworks.

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It is now common to misuse section 498-A of the Indian Penal Code. His wife, Nikita Singhania, filed nine cases against Atul to get Rs 3 crore. Atul high-lighted that over two years he had to attend more than 120 court hearings and had frequently to travel between Bengaluru and Jaunpur, which would have adversely impacted his job. This caused emotional, financial and pro-fessional strains leading ultimately to the act of suicide.

Atul’s note and his final words “Justice is Due,” highlight systemic flaws and call for urgent reforms in the legal and judicial systems. His story sheds light on the plight of countless families who are victimized by the misuse of laws designed to protect but are often weaponized for personal gain.

Several pressing issues deserve con-sideration.

• Judicial Delays: The sheer number of court hearings Atul attended without resolution demonstrates how the slow pace of justice can destroy lives.
• Misuse of Laws: Section 498-A, intended to combat dowry harassment, has increasingly been used to settle personal scores, often implicating inno-cent individuals.
• Maintenance for Educated Women: The law must differentiate between genuinely vulnerable women and those capable of self-sustenance. Granting maintenance to educated and employed women often leads to unjust financial exploitation of men. The law must pro-mote equality and self-reliance, not dependency and exploitation. This will ensure fairness and prevent undue financial strain on husbands.
• Children as Tools of Exploitation: In matrimonial disputes, children are often used as emotional weapons or for financial leverage. This not only harms the child’s welfare but also exac-erbates the emotional turmoil of the accused.
• The Need for Reform: National Crime Records Bureau Data suggest there is a dire need for reform. If the Indian judiciary does not get reformed, it will negatively impact society at large.
• Online Trials in the Digital Era: This is the era of digitalization. The Indian judiciary must hear cases online whenever and wherever there are require-ments. Legal battles require a considerable amount of time and hence online case will not only reduce the time, energy, and money of the court but also reduce the burden on individuals.
• Punishment for Misuse of Laws: There should be punitive measures for those who file false cases. It will act as a major deterrent against misuse of laws. It will also ensure that the law is not weaponized to destroy innocent lives. Perpetrators of false and forged accusations, including the complainant and next of kin, must face hard legal consequences along with strong financial penalties to prevent unlawful misuse.
• Safeguarding Children’s Interests: Children should not be used as tools for extracting money or emotionally tormenting a parent. The law must ensure that custody and visitation rights prioritize the child’s welfare and prevent one parent from manipulating the sit-uation to harm the other.
• Timely Resolution and Judicial Reform: Matrimonial disputes should be fast-tracked to reduce the financial and emotional burden on families. Courts should enforce strict timelines for resolving such cases and ensure that genuine grievances are addressed swiftly.

Atul’s death highlights the urgent need for a balanced approach to family laws. While laws like Section 498-A are crucial to protect women from genuine harassment, their misuse has far-reaching consequences. Policymakers must amend these laws to safeguard innocent individuals while ensuring justice for real victims.  Atul’s case also calls for systemic accountability. Courts must adopt a proactive approach to prevent false accusations and deliver timely justice. The judiciary and legislature must ensure that individuals like Atul do not suffer in silence or lose their lives to the inef-ficiencies of the system.

Atul’s final words must resonate with every policymaker and judicial authority. His tragic death should not be in vain. It is a clarion call to overhaul outdated laws, introduce technology-driven solu-tions, and ensure that the legal system delivers justice without causing collateral damage. As a humanitarian society, it is the responsibility of all to speak and support injustice that is taking place. We must bring change to work for a fair and just society. No more lives should be lost to prolonged legal harassment and systemic inefficiencies.

(The writer is Assistant Professor, Department of Humanities and Social Science, Madan Mohan Malaviya University of Technology, Gorakhpur.)