Atal Setu Suicide: Widow Moves Bombay High Court Seeking Death Certificate After Civic Bodies Deny Jurisdiction

A widow has approached the Bombay High Court seeking a direction to the authorities to issue a death certificate of her husband, who committed suicide by jumping off from the famous 'Atal Setu' bridge which connects South Bombay to Navi Mumbai, after three municipal corporations have denied her relief citing 'lack of jurisdiction.'

In her plea, the widow - Sunaina Karuturi, has pointed out that her husband - Srinivas, had left from their Dombivali residence on July 23, 2024 for a meeting which was to be held in Andheri. When she phone called him asking about when he would be returning on July 24, 2024 afternoon, he told her that he would be returning later that night. 

However, by 1 PM, the police officials of the Nhava Sheva Police Station in Navi Mumbai, informed her about her husband's car being abandoned on the Atal Setu bridge and CCTV footages showing he jumped into the sea. She rushed to the police station and also to the spot and confirmed her husband's identity in the CCTV footage.

"The Petitioner also informed the relevant authorities about the incident, including the marine security patrol boat and the local Koli Bandhav, requesting their assistance in searching for her husband's dead body in the surrounding areas," the plea states, adding that despite searching of the surround areas in the sea her husband's body could not be found.

According to her plea, filed through advocate Anita Castellino assisted by advocates Jamil Khan and Vibha Mishra, the petitioner and her husband had married in November 2015 and were blessed with a daughter, who was a special child suffering from moderate autism spectrum disorder. Her husband she claims, had obtained credit cards from Yes Bank, HSBC Bank and ICICI Bank and due to non-payment of the said amount within the stipulated time frame, he began receiving frequent calls from the banks, demanding repayment, because of which he was under considerable stress.

The petitioner has contended that from September 2024 till November 2024, she approached the Uran Municipal Corporation (UMC), the Panvel Municipal Corporation (PMC) and also the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) seeking issuance of a death certificate in her husband's name. All the three civic bodies however, did not issue a certificate claiming that they had no jurisdiction over the area. The petitioner claimed that she is yet to receive any proper response from the Navi Mumbai Collector and also the three civic bodies. 

"Despite the media coverage and the ongoing search efforts, the whereabouts of the Petitioner's husband (Srinivas) remain unknown till date. The Petitioner respectfully submits that, as the wife of Srinivas, the issuance of her late husband's death certificate is of utmost necessity for all legal and procedural purposes. The death certificate is essential for the Petitioner to fulfil various requirements, such as daughter's medical and school admission purpose, withdrawal of provident fund amount, claiming of insurance, accessing legal and completing other formalities associated with her husband's death," the petition reads.

The petition is likely to be heard by a division bench of Justice Ravindra Ghuge and Justice Hiten Venegavkar in the coming week.

Case Title: Sunaina Karuturi vs Sub-Registrar Birth and Death Department, Uran Municipal Council (Writ Petition 9814 of 2025)