Delhi High Court has begun a new special fund called ‘ASRA’ which would help in rehabilitation of victims of burn injuries including burns from Acid Attack.

Justice Najmi Waziri, while directing the Counsel for New India Assurance Co Ltd to explore the possibility of employing victims of burn injuries as a special measure; as a humanitarian social outreach initiative said, “it is a Present day reality that burn victim in general, gradually get relegated to the shadows of Social life and suffer a life time of withdrawal from active participation in public life. With time the searing pain of the wounds and the shock of the burn incident may heal, but the scars of the burn injury remain on the body; the unfortunate remnant disfigurement haunts the victim’s consciousness incessantly.”

Court said, New India Assurance Co Ltd is a large government owned insurance company. It has an extensive and cognizable administrative footprint throughout the country. It employs thousands of persons. Its turnover is in thousands of Crores of rupees. Therefore, it may consider employing persons suffering from unfortunate catastrophic setbacks such as burns injury. Albeit cases of such rehabilitation may be given priority and affirmative action by a Public Sector company may be adopted as a policy, but the individual would be expected to meet the minimum eligibility criteria or such relaxed criteria or modified duties, as may be fixed by the employer.

“Additionally, a rehabilitation and ameliorative fund shall be created. It shall be called the ASRA fund to be managed by the Registrar General of the High Court. Cost imposed on parties by this Court, may be directed to be deposited,” said Justice Najmi Waziri

“The fund could be utilised for Plastic Surgery and other rehabilitative efforts to victims of burn injuries. The identification of the victims for rehabilitative surgery, etc, shall be done by a committee comprising Registrar General of this court, the Head of Department of Burns Injury of Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi, along with Senior Surgeon/Doctor of the said Hospital”, court added with directions to Registrar General to open a Savings Account with UCO Bank, Delhi High Court Branch in the name of ASRA fund.

— India Legal Bureau