Ready To Give Railway Concessions For Acid Attack Survivors In Patient Category : Union Tells Supreme Court

The Railway Board has principally agreed to formulate a policy to provide railway fare concessions to acid attack survivors travelling for medical treatment, the Centre told the Supreme Court on Thursday.

A bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V Mohana granted six weeks to the Union Government to place the draft policy on record.

“Learned ASG has informed us that a meeting was held and the Railway Board has principally agreed to formulate a policy. We grant six weeks to place the draft policy on record”, the Court said.

Last month, the Supreme Court had asked the Union Government to consider including acid attack survivors among persons with disabilities who receive railway concessions and/or emergency quotas for treatment and periodic checkups.

Today, Additional Solicitor General Archana Pathak Dave told the bench that she had discussed the issue in detail with the Chairman of the Railway Board, who agreed that acid attack survivors should be given concession under the patient category.

“I had a detailed discussion with the chairman of the railway board and he was ad idem that there should be concession given to the acid attack victims in the patient category. Some time is needed to have the policy on record - how would it be given and what will be the duration,” she said.

Dave explained that although acid attack survivors fall within the category of persons with disability, the concession would be provided under the patient category because they require travel for medical treatment.

She submitted that the government was not considering providing the concession under the disability category as concessions were not available to all persons with disabilities. Granting it under that category could lead to demands from other disability categories, she said.

“They are in the disabled category but we will give them concession under the patient category because it is required for the purpose of going to the doctor. We are still deliberating, but under the disable category we are not giving because we are not giving this concession to all the disabled persons. Then other persons from disabled category will come and we cannot then differentiate among the disabled persons”, she said.

Advocate Anandh Venkataramani, the petitioner's counsel, however, pointed out that concessions under the patient category are presently linked to travel between two stations. This could pose difficulties for survivors needing to travel on various routes for treatment at different hospitals.

He illustrated that a survivor travelling from Himachal Pradesh to Chennai would have to obtain a concession certificate from a doctor or hospital in Chennai. He highlighted that survivors may require multiple surgeries and may have to travel separately to different places for treatment. They may also have to travel to attend legal proceedings relating to their cases, he submitted.

He submitted that requiring separate concession certificates from multiple hospitals would create an additional hassle for the survivors. Further, he sought emergency quotas for acid attack survivors, as they may require critical medical attention during the first three months.

Dave said that these modalities could be addressed while framing the policy, and sought to work out the details of the policy. She reiterated that the government had reservations about providing the concession under the disability category because it could not differentiate between different categories of persons with disabilities.

The Court directed the Centre to place the proposal on record. “Place it on the record. Let's see how much is granted and how much is left,” the CJI remarked.

Background

The PIL filed by Atijeevan Society seeks concessional fares and emergency quotas for acid attack survivors travelling for medical treatment.

At the previous hearing, the petitioner had submitted that railway reservations were being provided to nine categories of persons with disabilities, while the Centre had stated that concessions were provided to four categories. It was also argued that Section 41(2) of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 requires the Railways to provide such facilities.

On that day, the Court had asked the centre to treat acid attack survivors on par with cancer patients and persons suffering from other chronic ailments for concessional fares and emergency quotas, noting that specialised treatment may be available only at multi-specialty hospitals in cities.

Case Title: Atijeevan Society v. Union of India and Ors.

Case No.: W.P.(C) No. 30/2026, Diary No. 75359/2025