BENGALURU: With no hope of getting a job or financial assistance to bear her medical expenses even eight months after the High Court issued directions, N S Leesha, a victim of Malleswaram blast, has yet again knocked on the doors of the court. This time, she filed a contempt petition against the state as well as the Union government.
Hearing the petition, a division bench of Justices Jayant Patel and N K Sudhindra Rao on Monday issued a notice to P K Garg, Secretary, Department of Home, and Rajiv Mehrishi, Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs.
Leesha (22) is a second semester MCA student in the city. She was grievously injured in a blast that occurred outside the BJP headquarters in Malleswaram on April 17, 2013. She had to undergo multiple surgeries on one leg and the state government had paid `13.20 lakh for the same. However, despite the treatment, she suffered more than 50 per cent disability.
In January 5, 2015, she had requested the court to consider this as a special case on humanitarian grounds for ex-gratia payment, financial assistance to clear medical bills and a government job under the disability quota, taking into account her young age and meritorious academic record. She also sought a payment of `1 crore as compensation.
On October 19, 2016, the single bench had ordered the state government to provide a job to Leesha within three months of receiving the order. The judge had also ordered the Union Home Ministry to consider Leesha’s representation as a special case and take a call within four months.
Despite these directions, neither the state nor the Union government had acted. Leesha had also submitted a representation to the Chief Minister this February, drawing his attention to the court directions. Siddaramaiah had then asked the matter to be placed before the state cabinet. However, till date it has not been done so, advocate H Sunil Kumar argued.
What the court said last October
The judge had said that Leesha was 17 years old when the incident occurred. Had the tragedy not struck, she would have probably pursued a professional course as she was attending coaching classes for that purpose. But despite the tragedy, she has studied an alternative course but she cannot stand on her feet owing to her physical disability. She “should get a feeling that the state and the society have recognised her as a victim of terrorism and cared for her,” the judge had said.