Delhi High Court bench orders special fund to help burn victims

Source: hindustantimes.com

A single-judge bench of Delhi High Court has started a fund for rehabilitation of the victims of burns.

The fund will be generated by the penalty (cost) that the high court bench of Justice Najmi Waziri imposes in other cases of litigation on either of the parties.

The fund — known as Aasra — will be managed by the registrar general of the Delhi High Court. Costs imposed on parties by the court may be directed to be deposited in this fund. A committee, comprising the registrar general and head of department of burns injury of the Safdarjung Hospital, along with a senior surgeon/ doctor, would identify victims for rehabilitative surgery.

“The fund can be utilized for plastic surgery and other rehabilitative efforts for victims of burns. The identification of the victims for rehabilitative surgery etc shall be done……,” Justice Waziri said while ordering the opening of a separate account for the Aasra fund.

According to court officials, a cost of over Rs 3 lakh has been imposed on the litigants in about 20 matters in two months since the fund was created by an order on May 3.

The funds was started on orders of Justice Waziri in May 2019 while hearing a case on the release of compensation to a victim. While creating the fund, he had noted that the burn victims gradually get relegated to the shadows of social life and suffer a lifetime of withdrawal from active participation in public life.

The court had said that with time, the searing pain of the wounds and the shock of the burn incident may heal, but the scars of the burns remain on the body which haunts the victim’s consciousness incessantly. It also said that there could be a shunning of the company of the burn victim even by those who were familiar with the victim.

“A civilized society cannot let such psychological devastation of an individual and her withdrawal from social life to fester. Society would expect its economically well-off persons and institutions of means, to lend a helping hand, some assistance, to rehabilitate them,” the court had said while ordering the formation of a “rehabilitative” and “ameliorative fund”.

Justice Waziri said that all costs imposed by him on the parties in cases he hears would be deposited in the Aasra fund.

“Costs imposed on parties by this court, may be directed to be deposited, “the judge said in his order. The fund can, however, be accessed by all burn victims who come to the high court, irrespective of what bench hears their plea.