In February 2014, Sagar Jadhav was a 23 year old newly married man in Bhigwan village in Indapur taluka of Pune. When a few local youth sexually assaulted a friend’s wife, he encouraged his friend to file a police complaint and even accompanied him to the police station. This angered the assailants who enjoyed patronage from a local goon. The goon invited Jadhav and his friend to their lair on the pretext of having a conversation and then proceeded to have them beaten mercilessly.
In an interview to Sakaal Jadhav, who belongs to a scheduled caste, had recalled his ordeal saying, “They assaulted me so badly that I have become 90 per cent disabled and wheelchair-bound for my whole life.” After the attack Jadhav was in a coma for five months. His family had to spend upwards of Rs 40 lakhs on his treatment and had to sell property and land in the process.
While many local politicians offered help, nothing really materialised from their hollow words. Eventually, the family approached CJP secretary Teesta Setalvad who helped them move court demanding compensation and rehabilitation as per provisions of the law dealing with atrocities committed upon members of Scheduled Castes and Tribes. CJP provided Jadhav with free legal aid and now the young man has received some relief.
In it order the court said, “In view of urgency and in the light of Section 15A of the Atrocities Act, by way of interim order, we direct the Respondent-State to give necessary directions to Dean B.J. Medical College and Sasoon Hospital, Pune to perform Cranioplasty surgery of petitioner No.1. All the expenses of surgery, including medicine, injectibles and implants, if any, and incidental expenses of hospitalisation and post-operative care, shall be borne by the State Government. The Respondent-State shall carry out this exercise on urgent basis, so that the operation would be performed as expeditiously as possible.”
The entire order may be read here:
After this the Maharashtra government has also ordered the Sasoon Hospital to perform the surgery. This order may be read here:
