Man attempts suicide after parents denied bail

After seeing a city court turn down his parents' application for anticipatory bail, a 26-year-old garment businessman from Vikhroli (E) tried to kill himself by consuming a bottle of phenyl early Sunday morning.

Rustamali Shaikh, a resident of Tagore Nagar, is now recuperating at Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Hospital.

His advocates said he had been depressed after learning of the court verdict.

The order, passed on Thursday by Judge Dr Laxmi Rao of the Sessions Court, reads, "If anticipatory bail is granted in the cases under section 498A, where there is a prima facie case of harassment and torture, it would send wrong signals to the society at large." Rustamali received a copy of the order on Friday.

'Can't live with it'
Though the order has been stayed till Feb 15 to allow an appeal in the High Court, Shaikh was deeply worried about the fate of his parents, Ashrafali Shaikh, (60) and Nafisa Shaikh (57).

"I am not worried about going to jail. But I cannot bear to see my parents face the same fate," he told a friend.

The anxious family -- comprising Rustamali, his four brothers, their wives, and his parents -- stayed up till about 4.30 am on Sunday, discussing the order, before retiring to bed.

At about 6 am, Ashrafali found his son vomiting and rushed him to hospital, where he is currently receiving care.

According to the order, the complainant, Naziya Shaikh, was married to Rustamali on May 12, 2008. She has alleged that Rustamali and his family demanded money from her for their business.

On Nov 17, 2011, after the death of Rustamali's grandfather, Naziya left the house to live with her family. Following this, Rustamali filed a petition for Restitution of Conjugal Rights.

The matter is still pending. The couple, which has a 2-year-old child, also tried mediation. Both sides allege the other is having an affair.

According to Advocate Deepak Paikrao, who handles Rustamali and his family's legal affairs, the allegations made by Naziya are all false, with no evidence to substantiate any of her claims.