BENGALURU: The Karnataka High Court came to the rescue of a 28-year-old doctor living with a disability who has alleged harassment at the St John’s National Academy of Health Sciences. On Thursday, Justice B V Nagarathna directed the St John’s National Academy of Health Sciences to permit Dr Jeffrey Pradeep Raj to reside in the campus and have access to infrastructure and all facilities as well as official e-mail of the Academy.
The court passed an interim order to that effect after hearing the petition filed by Dr Jeffrey. The court also ordered notice to the St John’s National Academy of Health Sciences and Commissioner for Persons With Disability. According to the petition, Dr Jeffrey, with 60% disability, contended that he was denied his legitimate rights of continuing research work. His official e-mail ID has been blocked and is in the process of being ousted from the accommodation facility provided by the St John’s Academy of Health Sciences. He was not continued in the many research projects, although he was a major contributor, he claimed.
He was undertaking a major research project called ‘Turmacin” in St John’s, for which he got sponsorship from “Natural Remedies Private Limited”. He is responsible for the conception of this project and has gone an extra mile in ensuring that the project received financial support. Just to ensure that he does not get to undertake this project, he was ousted from the hostel accommodation provided by the St John’s, Dr Jeffrey said.
He alleged that he was subjected to severe torture, sexual abuse, verbal harassment and financial fraud by some faculties. He alleged he was not considered as Principal Investigator of the Project, ‘Turmacin’, because he was a Protestant Christian and a person with benchmark disability. Because of the great importance of the project and to avail the sponsorship and take credit of the project in Academy name, he was made as co-author of the Project, he claimed.
It is stated that since Dr Jeffrey was with 60% disability and not Catholic, St John’s Academy of Health Sciences neither provided him with Senior Resident employment, nor allowed him to stay in the campus. Although the enquiry panel was constituted to look into his complaints, it was not properly conducted, it said.