New Delhi

The Supreme Court on Thursday sought the views of the Centre on a plea seeking concessional air-conditioned class rail fare for acid attack survivors to enable them to travel to well-equipped hospitals in cities for periodic treatment.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana asked Additional Solicitor General Archana Pathak Dave to take requisite instructions from the Ministry of Railways on the issue.

At the outset, Dave said that there are 21 categories of persons with disabilities (PwDs) and the railways is already providing travel concessions to them. She said the railways is also contemplating providing an emergency travel quota for all categories of PwDs.

The counsel, appearing for PIL petitioner Atijeevan Society, which has sought railway reservations for acid attack victims, said that such survivors have to undertake multiple visits to super-speciality hospitals for treatment for almost four to five years.

He said that persons who have been forced to ingest acid face difficulty in getting medical certificates to seek a railway reservation.

Moreover, they are asked to get such certificates from the treating hospitals to claim reservation and which is difficult, he added.

The bench asked the law officer to see whether acid attack victims can be included in the category of patients like Thalassemia and cancer to ensure that they can also avail the concession in rail tickets to get treatment.

The bench asked the law officer to take instructions and listed the plea for further consideration.

Earlier, the bench had issued a notice to the Centre on the PIL seeking a separate reservation quota and concessional railway fares for acid attack survivors.

"Due to the nature of the burn injuries, persistent itching, and especially after undergoing surgery, acid attack survivors often need to travel by train in AC coaches. However, they cannot afford the high cost of AC tickets for frequent travels and due to the existing framework, they can neither avail themselves of the earmarked quota otherwise available to PwDs nor the concessional railway fare facility," the PIL said.

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It said their rehabilitation necessitated multiple reconstructive surgeries, advanced ophthalmic interventions and prolonged post-operative care, which are available only at a handful of elite tertiary institutions in metropolitan cities like Delhi, Chennai and Hyderabad.

It pleaded for inclusion of acid attack survivors within the PwD category to make them entitled to a concession in rail fare.