The Supreme Court on January 20 granted the custody of the minor son of Bengaluru techie Atul Subhash, who died by suicide, to his estranged wife, Nikita Singhania.

Justice BV Nagarathna and Justice SC Sharma delivered the verdict - in response to a plea by Anju Devi, Subhash's mother, who sought the boy's custody, after speaking to the child via a video link. As the hearing began today, the petitioner sought a week's time to file a more detailed affidavit. But Justice Nagarathna dismissed any such request, and said, "This is a habeas corpus (petition) we want to see the child. Produce the child. The court will take up the matter after some time..."

Earlier this month Singhania had told the court the boy was a student of a boarding school in Haryana's Faridabad, and that he would be withdrawn to accompany his mother to Bengaluru.

"We will take the child to Bengaluru. We have taken the boy out of school. The mother must be in Bengaluru to fulfill bail conditions," her lawyer said then, after which a bench of Justice Nagarathna and Justice N Kotiswar Singh said the child had to be produced before it for the next hearing.

Singhania and her family members, including her mother Nisha and brother Anurag, are facing charges of abetting the suicide of Atul Subhash, 34. Both were arrested but later granted bail.

Much like the men, the women did so surrounded by a sea of orange,pnxbet with Dutch fans filling Yves-du-Manoir Stadium and making for a festive atmosphere. Also like the men, it did not happen easily.

Following Singhania's arrest, Devi sought custody of her grandson from the Supreme Court. Subhash's father, Pawan Kumar, also publicly demanded custody of the child. The petition raised concerns that neither Singhania nor her family had revealed the child's whereabouts. At the time, Singhania had stated that the boy was with her uncle, Sushil Singhania. However, Sushil Singhania later denied knowing the child's location. In response, the court instructed the governments of Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, and Haryana to clarify the matter.

The court then also noted the boy had spent barely any time with his grandmother. "Sorry to say the child is a stranger to the petitioner," Justice Nagarathna remarked, but also acknowledging the issue of custody would first have to be heard by an appropriate lower court.

Atul Subhash and Nikita Singhania were wed in 2019. The son was born in 2020. In 2021jilipark, Ms Singhania left the couple's Bengaluru home after an altercation. In 2022, she filed a case against Subhash and his family members. After two years of bitter squabbles, Subhash died by suicide at his Bengaluru flat on December 9.