Overview
- The Union government told the Supreme Court on Thursday that the Railway Board has agreed in principle to grant fare concessions to acid attack survivors by classifying them under the railways' patient category.
- A bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant directed the Centre to place a draft policy on record within six weeks so the court can review the specific rules and timelines for the concession.
- Petitioners warned that current patient-category concessions are tied to travel between two specific stations and often require certificates from destination hospitals, which would create repeated paperwork for survivors who travel to multiple cities for treatment.
- Advocates asked the court to include an emergency ticket quota for urgent, short-notice travel in the early months after an attack and the government agreed to consider that mechanism while framing the policy.
- The government agreed to share the proposed draft with petitioner Atijeevan Society before filing it in court and the final text will determine practical issues such as certificate requirements, concession duration and multi-route coverage that directly affect survivors' access to timely care.