Mumbai: The widow of a man who allegedly jumped off the Atal Setu bridge has approached the Bombay High Court seeking a declaration that her husband is dead and directions to the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) to issue his death certificate.
The 34-year-old woman, in her petition filed on April 23, stated that her husband, Karuturi Srinivas, jumped into the sea from the bridge in July 2024. The plea, argued by counsel Anita Castellino before a bench headed by Justice R V Ghuge, said she approached the high court after three municipal corporations denied her relief, citing lack of jurisdiction.
The Atal Setu bridge connects south Mumbai and Navi Mumbai. According to the widow, she was contacted by the Nhava Sheva police, who showed her CCTV footage of a man jumping off the bridge and the car parked there, based on which she identified her husband.
The petition contends that despite repeated oral and written representations to all civic bodies and relevant government authorities, she has not been issued the death certificate, resulting in extreme hardship and mental distress. She argues that the inaction and negligence on the part of the authorities are unjustified, arbitrary, and violative of her legal and fundamental rights.
The widow is facing financial difficulties and is compelled to depend entirely on her aged mother and extended family members for basic sustenance, solely due to the non-issuance of the certificate. She is legally entitled to receive various post-death benefits of her late husband, such as his provident fund, gratuity, life insurance proceeds, and other financial dues, for which the death certificate is mandatory. The petition states that despite being entitled to her husband's financial benefits, she is being denied.
The Bombay High Court has posted the matter to July for further hearing.
