Letter to Atul Subhash: From Writer Activist Meena Kandasamy’s Former Husband Dharmaraja After His Acquittal U/s 498-A

Dear Atul Subhash,

I write this letter after the frenzy on social media about you has subsided. I deliberately chose this moment, as I refuse to reduce your tragedy to a fleeting trend. A mutual female friend, who trains with me for full marathons and was once your colleague, spoke of you as a team leader with five or six patents. She shared how your team admired you so much that they considered leaving with you when you planned to switch companies. Her words painted a picture of a man of character.

Usually, in a conflict between a woman and a man, I lean towards the woman’s side before hearing the man out. However, learning about you from our friend led me to delve into your story. I felt compelled to write to you—not just to acknowledge the injustice you faced, but also to share my own experiences with the misuse of our legal system.

Your suicide has shaken the nation. Tragically, the conversations sparked by your story arose because you took the ultimate step. You are neither the first nor, sadly, the last victim of a legal system that allows itself to be exploited rather than delivers swift, impartial justice.

In 2012, Ms. Meena Kandasamy filed a false case against me under Sections 498A (domestic violence) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC. She accused me of unimaginable acts—dowry harassment, physical abuse, and sexual violence. These were allegations I couldn’t fathom even in my worst nightmares. After enduring a relentless 13-year legal battle filled with abuse, threats, and extortion attempts, I was finally declared innocent by the trial court on September 30, 2024.

People often say, “All is well that ends well.” But this ordeal taught me otherwise. It revealed how some masquerading feminists manipulate public opinion and weaponize the legal system for personal gain. Their tactics involve two primary strategies:

Crafting Victimhood

They skillfully present themselves as perpetual victims, using this narrative to garner public sympathy. In my case, Ms. Kandasamy repeatedly published fabricated allegations about me, portraying herself as oppressed. Her accusations were not only absurd but grotesque. She claimed I had relationships with 64 women, including my mother—a claim she later amended to her mother during cross-examination.

This strategy exploits the progressive space society has carved for women to share their experiences. Women like her tarnish this progress, eroding trust in genuine survivors. When their masks fall, society’s disillusionment affects all women who seek justice. Additionally, selective media coverage amplifies this imbalance. When I tried to clarify my side of the story, many outlets refused to publish my perspective while eagerly promoting hers. Such bias shifts the focus from truth to ideological affiliations, further muddying the waters.

Exploitation for Material Gain

After gaining public sympathy, they seek to extract material benefits or inflict financial and social damage. In my case, Ms. Kandasamy and her father attempted extortion during the case proceedings. They spread falsehoods to isolate me socially. These tactics left me vulnerable—my mother, my staunchest supporter, tragically committed suicide the day after I collected the chargesheet.

Despite the overwhelming odds, I fought back, thanks to friends who shielded me during my lowest moments, advocates who argued my case pro bono, and well-wishers who restored my faith in justice. Their support prevented me from succumbing to despair.

I refuse to blame you entirely for your decision. As Mao Tse Tung once said about Miss Chao’s suicide, “A person’s suicide is entirely determined by circumstances. Was Miss Chao’s original idea to seek death? On the contrary, it was to seek life. If Miss Chao ended up seeking death instead, it is because circumstances drove her to this.”

To others who suffer institutional abuse, I say: hold on. Truth may be slow, but it does prevail.

Mr. Atul Subhash, I don’t believe in life-after-death, but if you ever get a chance to meet my mother, let her know this: a son of an army jawan father and an illiterate mother, hailing from a remote village, born into a lower middle-class backward community family, a first-generation graduate, and most importantly, a man who had no prior exposure to the legal system, was able to defeat the daughter of an IIT professor, an influential member of the media mafia, the self-claimed ex-lover of a sitting Member of Parliament, a proud secret member of an upper-caste casteist lobby, and a woman who could share breakfast with the sitting Minister of the ruling party.

This victory is not just mine; it belongs to all those who persevere against the odds. Women like Ms. Kandasamy, who hide behind false feminism, may deceive the world for a while, but truth ultimately unmasks them.

One friend sincerely advised me not to commit suicide, saying that’s what she wanted as she had no proof against me, and if I died, she could give the story a beautiful ending. “Live and succeed,” he said.

Atul, rest in peace, brother. Your story reminds us that change is needed—urgently and radically.

Take your rest, brother; we will carry the fight forward.

– Dharmaraja

VOICE FOR MEN INDIA:

Dr Dharmaraja Gunasekharan is the former husband of novel writer & activist Meena Kandasamy (Ilavenil Kandasamy) who had been unilaterally tarnishing his image over social media while matter was subjudice. 

 

Voice For Men India is in possession of the final order from COURT OF IX METROPOLITAN MAGISTRATE, SAIDAPET, CHENNAI-15, that has acquitted the husband from charges framed under Section 498-A IPC and others, due to “Prosecution failed to prove its case hence accused was found not guilty.”

The matter had been ongoing between the estranged couple since nearly 12-years.

Some of the allegations levelled by wife in her FIR (as stated in final court order):

• When they were starting their matrimonial life in Mangalore, he forcefully had intercourse with the defacto complainant who sustained bleeding, he demanded to have sex during the mensuration period, he acted as a animal behavior at the time of having intercourse with the complainant

• The accused repeatedly contented that he was not satisfied and complaining that he could have been more affluent and sophisticated if he had married his relative whose parents had promised him to offer dowry of 50 lakh in cash and 100 sovereigns of gold

• The accused frequently demanded to bring from the complainant’s parents viz fridge, washing machine and mixer as dowry apart from amount met out for their marriage expenses sum of the one lakh and also for the event held at Srivillipudhur

DO WATCH:

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OPEN LETTER TO ATUL SUBHASH

From @meenakandasamy's Former Husband Dr Dharmaraja After His Acquittal U/s #498A

"My mother, my staunchest supporter, tragically committed suicide the day after I collected the chargesheet. Mr. Atul Subhash, I don’t believe in life-after-death, but… pic.twitter.com/443d0tDRwu

— Voice For Men India (@voiceformenind) January 15, 2025

 

 

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