“The Thirumalesh family had been bullied, gagged and intimated by England’s NHS and Court of Protection into silence that even prevented them from sharing her name with friends. She could only be referred to as JT.”
Say Her Name! Sudiksha Thirumalesh!
A 19-year-old Christian teenage woman, died after a court prevented her from seeking experimental treatment abroad. A court order in England wouldn’t even allow for her name to be mentioned publicly until after she died to avoid public scrutiny. Only now is her family allowed to speak out.
The devastated Thirumalesh family; Chellamal Hemachandran, Revathi Malesh, and her brother Varshan Chellamal, were under a strict court order that prevented them from publicly naming Sudiksha for over a year. The restriction was finally lifted late last week by a ruling at the Family Division of the High Court.
Sudiksha’s brother, Varshan Chellamal Thirumalesh, whom loved his sister dearly, said the family had been “gagged” and “intimidated.”
“After a year of struggle and heartache we can finally say our beautiful daughter and sister’s name in public without fear: she is Sudiksha. She is Sudiksha Thirumalesh not ST.
“Despite our grief and the continuing shock over everything we have been through, today a part of us is at peace. Sudiksha was a wonderful daughter and sister who we will cherish forever. We cannot imagine life without her.
“We seek justice for Sudiksha today, and for others in her situation,” he sadly concluded.
Sudiksha’s case was similar to those of Charlie Gard, Alfie Evans, and Archie Battersbee. They too were denied lifesaving by the Court of Protection. Unlike the other cases however, Sudiksha was fully conscious and alert.
In her final months, Sudiksha was seeking permission to go to Canada for experimental nucleoside treatment for a rare genetic disease- mitochondrial. The NHS Court of Protection had barred her and her family from even being allowed to even raise funds for her treatment, speaking to friends about it, and could only be referred to as ST. The Courts stated that she [Sudiksha] lacked the capacity to make such decisions on her own.
Sudiksha was completely able to communicate throughout her entire illness, and all that she ever requested was to “die trying to live.” But the court’s rulings kept her from doing so.
Sudiksha’s legal team argued basic fundamental rights before the courts for her right to live and seek treatment abroad. However, Justice Roberts had ruled that Sudiksha did not have the capacity to make decisions about her own treatment, despite evidence to the contrary from two psychiatrists.
