Supreme Court rejects PIL seeking National Commission for Men
The Supreme Court has rejected a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking the framing of guidelines to deal with incidents of suicide by married men and the establishment of a "National Commission for Men" to address such issues. It stated that the PIL portrayed a one-sided perspective and also questioned the petitioner if they had data on the deaths of women shortly after marriage.
SC observes petitioner painted one-sided story
The SC bench of justices Surya Kant and Dipankar Datta stated there was no reason why a national commission should be formed after it observed the petitioner had painted a one-sided story. "No question of misplaced sympathy for anyone. You just want to portray a one-sided picture. Can you give us data of young girls dying soon after marriage?" it asked.
Criminal law takes care, not remediless: Apex court
The top court further said that such cases of death come under criminal law and should be handled by the police. "Nobody wants to commit suicide, it depends on facts of individual case. Criminal law takes care, not remediless (sic)," it added.
81,063 men died by suicide in 2021 in India: NCRB
The petitioner provided the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data published in 2021 on suicide cases among married men as proof to submit their side. The plea filed by advocate Mahesh Kumar Tiwari cited this data, which said 1,64,033 people died by suicide across the country that year. Out of these, 81,063 were married men, while 28,680 were married women, the petition claimed.
These were other prayers in PIL
The petition also requested that the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) accept complaints from men who have been victims of domestic violence. In addition, it requested the SC's direction to the Law Commission of India to do research on the topic of suicides by married men who have experienced domestic abuse or are dealing with the burden of family or marriage-related difficulties.
Please seek help if you are having suicidal thoughts
If you or anyone you know is suffering from suicidal thoughts, you can reach out to AASRA for suicide prevention counseling. Its number is 022-27546669 (24 hours). You can also contact the Hyderabad-based Roshni NGO at +914066202000 or COOJ at +918322252525. Sneha India Foundation, which works 24x7, can be contacted at +914424640050. Vandrevala Foundation also has trained counselors, and its contact number is 18602662345.
