Retired Judge, Wife Booked After Domestic Help Dies By Suicide Over 'Harassment'

A retired judge and his wife were booked after their cook, Mahesh Nishad, died by suicide in Lucknow. In a video message alleges harassment over a false theft claim.

A judge and his wife have been booked in connection with the suicide of a domestic help who was allegedly subjected to harassment by the couple in the Aliganj area in the Lucknow district of Uttar Pradesh.

According to PTI, Mahesh Nishad had been employed as a cook at the residence of retired judge Anil Shrivastav and his wife, Vandana, for several years.

The couple had accused Nishad of theft around the time of Holi and allegedly harassed him, as per a complaint.

Distressed by the “continuous harassment,” Nishad, who was in his mid-thirties, took his own life on Tuesday by hanging himself at his residence while his children and other family members were away. Nishad had recorded a video message on his mobile phone in which he said that he would be taking his own life. He further said that he had not stolen anything and that he was done by someone else.

Nishad's family alleged that he was under immense stress due to the theft accusation made against him.

"My Papa was tortured and the police are also not listening to us," Nishad's minor son alleged in a video, according to PTI.

Assistant Commissioner of Police (Hazratganj) Vikash Kumar Jaiswal said that following the complaint lodged by Nishad's family, the retired judge and his wife were booked at the Hazratganj Police Station.

Jaiswal said that the police had taken cognizance of the video and began an investigation into the case. They are working on gathering more evidence and investigating further.

"The video has also been sent to the forensic lab for examination," Jaiswal told PTI.

In another incident, a 26-year-old man stabbed himself during a video call with his estranged wife in Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur on Thursday. Dinesh reportedly inflicted knife wounds on himself during the call.

After a recent argument, Radha, who hails from Fatehpur, returned to her maternal home and declined to return despite Dinesh's repeated requests. After Radha moved out, the couple frequently fought over phone calls.

On Thursday, while on a video call with Radha, Dinesh reportedly picked up a knife and stabbed himself several times. Seeing this, Radha screamed. Alarmed by the commotion, family members rushed to the scene and found Dinesh critically injured and covered in blood.