In a shocking case, an 11-year-old domestic help was badly beaten up, kept starving for days and forcefully fed chillies allegedly by a local trader and his wife.

Accused Sarjil Ansari (36) was booked along with his wife Farhat (32) on Sunday after the minor girl approached police with the help of her neighbours in the housing complex at Ghodbunder Road, where she worked for the couple, police said on Tuesday.

According to Mira Road Police Station, the couple brought the victim from Uttar Pradesh for household work.
The maid servant, whose body bore several old and fresh injury marks, was allegedly beaten frequently over petty issues and was made to starve for days together.

The employers even forced her to eat chillies and rubbed her with it, if she would not obey their orders, the girl alleged in the complaint.

Following this, Sarjil was arrested. However, his wife is still at large, police said. Both have been charged under sections 323, 324, 374 of the IPC.

Police sources said that the girl, who was promised a job in Mumbai household was “sold” to the couple by her parents for Rs 15,000, a fact which is still being probed.

The girl is presently in the custody of a NGO, which rescued her, police said.

The Bombay High Court has directed the Maharashtra government to file its response by January 24 on a PIL challenging collection of 15 paise surcharge on bus fare from every passenger for relief of Bangladesh refugees since 1971.

The other respondents to the PIL include Thane Municipal Corporation, Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation and other transport bodies.

The PIL said that the 15 paise surcharge is being collected by the state since 1971 after the Indo-Pak war, so that the refugees could be provided relief by the government.

The PIL said that an RTI had revealed that an amount of Rs. 388.96 crore had been collected by charging bus commuters 15 paise surcharge on every ticket to provide relief to the Bangladeshi refugees.

The PIL said that this amount was lying idle with the state government and was not being utilised for the purpose it was collected.

The petition alleged that through RTI it had learnt that one of the reasons for increase in the crime rate in the city was that the refugees were indulging in such activities.

On one hand, no relief was being given to the refugees and on the other hand, they (refugees) were indulging in crime, the PIL further alleged.

The PIL demanded that the authorities should either stop charging the 15 paise surcharge or use this amount for a noble cause such as tackling drought and malnutrition and protection of women.

A professor suspended by the University of Mumbai took his classes on a road outside the campus gates with about 40 students seated on newspapers, a sleepy dog also in attendance.

Dr. Neeraj Hatekar, an economics professor, was suspended on January 4 after he went public against Vice Chancellor Rajan Welukar and blamed him for the downslide in the university’s academic status. The university accused him of “misconduct and moral turpitude.”

For days, students have protested his ‘punishment’ and demanded their favourite professor back.

“They come from all over the country and get disappointed when they realize I am not teaching. They wanted to learn some aspects of economics and I didn’t want to spend money on hiring a hall, so here we are,” said Dr. Hatekar.

Students allege that Dr. Hatekar, who is widely respected as a teacher of game theory and microeconomics, was punished without being given a chance to defend himself. “We can learn anywhere. We are with Hatekar sir and we will support Hatekar sir,” said a student at the open air class.

Last week, students skipped classes and shouted slogans outside the university’s office, holding placards. A Facebook page ‘Save the Mumbai University’ urges more people to join in the protest.

Dr. Hatekar has petitioned the Bombay High Court against the “arbitrary and illegal” suspension order.

He has alleged that a politically-backed kitchen cabinet runs the university. “When Mr. Welukar joined, the university was ranked 96, now it is 150,” he said last week.

The university had defended its action. “Professor Hatekar maligned the university,” said Registrar RA Khan. “Why didn’t he approach us with these issues in the past three years?”

Awarding a fixed compensation for future medical expenses of accident victims can be avoided in extreme cases where the victim is completely incapacitated, the Bombay High Court said while directing monthly financial aide to a woman rendered quadriplegic after a road accident.

A division bench of Justices A S Oka and G S Patel held that instead of awarding a lump sum amount towards future medical expenses, a monthly amount can be fixed in serious cases where the victim’s longevity is unknown.

The bench was recently hearing an appeal filed by New India Assurance Ltd challenging compensation of Rs. 36,86,000 awarded to 39-year-old Shruti Panchal by the Motor Accidents Tribunal (MACT) in October 2011.

While the tribunal had awarded Shruti a total compensation of Rs. 76,57,000, the insurance company was only challenging Rs. 36,86,000 of this amount which was awarded for future medical expenses and money borrowed by her family.

In May 2003, the victim and her family members, who were travelling in a Tata Sumo to Goa, met with a road accident near Ratnagiri. Shruti was severely injured and the accident rendered her paralysed from chest to foot. According to doctors her condition is unlikely to improve.

The insurance company in its appeal said that it was ready to deposit Rs. 20,000 each month in the victim’s account for her medical expenses till she is alive.

The High Court while accepting this suggestion said, “Given the victim’s condition, her longevity is unknown. Awarding a fixed sum at this stage may not ensure to her benefit over an extended period of time. Adoption of such a course of payment (as suggested by the insurer) is proper in cases that lie in the extremity where the claimant is wholly incapacitated and suffers from a 100 per cent disability.”

The High Court reduced the total compensation awarded to Shruti to Rs. 41,86,000. In addition to this amount, the insurer shall make a deposit of Rs. 44 lakh with the MACT which in turn shall invest the amount in a fixed deposit at an interest rate of not below 8 per cent per annum.

“The entire interest amount shall be credited to the victim’s account on a monthly basis towards her medical expenses. This arrangement shall continue during her lifetime. On her demise, the entire principal amount shall be returned to the insurer,” the court ordered.