Specially abled staffer ends life by jumping from Saket court building, cites work pressure in note

New Delhi, Jan 9 (PTI) A specially abled male court staffer allegedly committed suicide after jumping from a building inside the Saket court complex here on Friday morning, police said.

Harish Singh Mahar, 43, who worked as an Ahlmad (administrative clerk) in Saket Court for only around three months left a suicide note, in which he cited work pressure as the reason behind the extreme step.

Given that he was 60 per cent disabled, Mahar, in his note, said the job was very tough for him. He also requested the high court to give a "light seat" to a disabled person so that in future no one suffers like him.

A PCR call regarding the incident that a court staffer jumped from the building was received at 10.24 am, police said.

In the note, Mahar, a resident of Faridabad, said, "Today I am committing suicide due to office work pressure. I am committing suicide of my own free will. No one is responsible for it. Ever since I became an Ahlmad, I have been having suicidal thoughts." He added that he did not share his suicidal thoughts with anyone.

"I believed that I would overcome them, but I failed. I am 60 per cent handicapped, and this job is very tough for me, and I succumbed to the pressure," the note mentions.

Ever since Mahar became an Ahlmad, he was unable to sleep and had been overthinking a lot, it said.

Harish said that even if he takes early retirement, he will receive his savings or pension at the age of 60, "So suicide is the only option." Teams rushed to the spot and launched further investigation. Police teams are recording statements of witnesses and colleagues, a senior police officer said.

The Saket court staff have announced to abstain from work in Lok Adalat proceedings, to protest the death of their colleague who committed suicide due to excessive work pressure.

Meanwhile, the court staff staged a demonstration demanding a thorough investigation of the incident.

Secretary of Saket Court Association, Anil Basoya, told PTI, "He was physically handicapped and died by suicide on Friday, leaving behind a note in which he cited work pressure as the reason for taking this extreme step." The workload is excessive as the court is severely understaffed, forcing one person to do the work meant for three, he said.

He added that we are deeply saddened by his death, "All work has been suspended, and we are protesting to seek justice for him." An FIR should be registered in the matter, he said.

Citing him as a hardworking and dedicated person, Basoya said Mahar was posted to an Ahlmad (administrative clerk) position three months back, where the workload is particularly heavy.

"He must have been under immense pressure to take such a step," Rasgoya said.

Additional Secretary of the Saket Court Association, Hitesh Baisla, also said that the court is highly understaffed.

"All court employees are protesting and demanding a thorough investigation into the incident," Hitesh told PTI.

Further details are awaited, he said. PTI BM SMV SSJ SHS