Supreme Court Rejects PIL Seeking ‘National Commission for Men’ in Domestic Violence Cases

New Delhi: The Supreme Court declined to entertain a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) that sought guidelines for dealing with incidents of suicide committed by married men facing domestic violence. The PIL also requested the establishment of a “National Commission for Men” to protect their interests.

Justices Surya Kant and Dipankar Datta expressed reluctance to consider the matter, stating that the petitioner seemed to present a one-sided perspective. The bench emphasized the need to consider data on young girls dying soon after marriage as well. They observed that suicide cases depend on individual circumstances and rejected the PIL.

The plea, filed by advocate Mahesh Kumar Tiwari, referred to data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) published in 2021. According to the data, 81,063 married men and 28,680 married women died by suicide that year. The petition highlighted that 33.2% of men ended their lives due to family problems and 4.8% due to marriage-related issues. The plea urged the Supreme Court to direct the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to address the issue of suicide by married men and accept complaints from men facing domestic violence.

Additionally, the petition requested the issuance of guidelines to police authorities for accepting and referring complaints of domestic violence or family problems to the State Human Rights Commission. It also sought a recommendation to the Law Commission of India to conduct research on suicide cases of married men facing domestic violence and propose the formation of a forum similar to the National Commission for Men. However, the petition was dismissed as withdrawn.

If you or someone you know is feeling suicidal or having suicidal thoughts, help is available. Please reach out to the following helpline: 9152987821.