26/11 terror attack eyewitness who identified Ajmal Kasab moves Bombay High Court seeking government allotted house

Devika Rotawan, one of the key eye-witnesses in the November 26 terror attacks in Mumbai, has moved the Bombay High Court seeking directions to the government to allot a house for her family and make provisions for her education..Rotawan, one of the youngest survivors of the attack, was 9 years old when she was injured at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Railway Terminus after being shot in the leg. After surgeries and being bedridden for nearly 6 months, she had during the trial, identified Ajmal Kasab who was the only terrorist captured alive after the incident. She had approached the High Court in August 2020, when a co-ordinate bench had directed the registry to forward a copy of her petition to then Chief Secretary of the State.Rotawan filed the present plea after the State rejected her request for accommodation. .During the hearing today, additional government pleader Jyoti Chavan informed the Bench of Justices SV Gangapurwala and MS Karnik that as per the last order of 2020, compensation of about ₹13.26 lakh had already been given to her.Union panel counsel, advocate R Bubna stated that after having received the compensation of over ₹10 lakh, which was fixed as per a government policy, there was nothing more which she could demand as a matter of right.The order of the co-ordinate bench of 2020 directing the State to consider her accommodation plea was also rejected, he informed the Court.In her plea filed through advocate Kunickaa Sadanand, Rotawan invoked a policy of the Central government of 2017. However, Bubna clarified the same was not applicable retrospectively and hence Rotawan could not claim compensation under that.Since none was present for Rotawan, the plea was adjourned to October 12 for further hearing..Rotawan's petition said that her family is not able to pay rent for the current room where she stays, and they family would be rendered homeless soon. Due to several ailments, she claimed that her father and brother are unable to earn a living.Rotawan had recently taken admission to a degree course at Chetna College in Bandra.Her petition stated that several Central and State government representatives had visited her assuring that she would get accommodation under the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) quota.Her family had also addressed several communications to the then Prime Minister and Chief Minister seeking relief, however, they received no response.Whatever assistance she received from government or non-governmental organisations was spent on her treatment and post-operative care, the plea said..Follow Bar and Bench channel on WhatsAppDownload the Bar and Bench Mobile app for instant access to the latest legal news.