SC Pushes Rail Fare Relief For Acid Attack Survivors

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday called for the active involvement of the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities in framing a policy to provide railway travel concessions to acid attack survivors seeking treatment at well-equipped hospitals.

A three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V. Mohana took note of submissions that the Centre had prepared a draft policy in consultation with stakeholders, including the petitioner, the NGO Atijeevan Society.

The CJI said the department, under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, should also be involved in finalising the policy. The court then posted the matter for further consideration.

On August 13, the Centre told the bench that it had agreed in principle to frame a policy granting concessions to acid attack survivors.

The court asked the Ministry of Railways to take a liberal approach to granting the concessions and directed Additional Solicitor General Archana Pathak Dave to place the draft policy on record within six weeks.

Dave said the Centre proposed to extend the benefit under the “patient category”, as it had reservations about placing acid attack survivors in a separate category among persons with disabilities.

“I can inform them that they will put the acid attack victims in the patient category because they have some reservations about putting them under the disabled category as others in that disabled category are not given railway concessions,” she said.

On July 16, the bench sought the Centre’s response to a plea seeking concessional fares for air-conditioned rail travel for acid attack survivors. It asked Dave to obtain the necessary instructions from the ministry.