A Step Towards Acceptance: 5 Acid Attack Survivors And A Transgender Get Jobs In Delhi High Court

The Delhi High Court has employed five acid attack survivors and a transgender after their plight was brought to the notice of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal on Wednesday, September 27.

As reported by The Times Of India, a source close to Justice Mittal’s office said that this was a “path-breaking initiative” by the High Court which could be an example for other institutions in the country to follow.

A senior member of the High Court Administration, while confirming the decision, was quoted as saying, “This is the first of its kind when such a decision has been taken. All the new recruitments who joined today have been given clerical jobs as per their qualification.”

The judicial officer, who wished to be anonymous, reportedly said that they had taken this step not only to give them a job but at the same time to give value to them. He further added that the decision was taken after the Delhi State Legal Services Authority (DSLSA) sent a proposal earlier in September to explore job opportunities for these individuals while highlighting their plight.

Pursuant to this, Justice Mittal had interacted with all the six persons before proceeding to provide them jobs at the High Court on a contractual basis.

The official said, “All of them had faced discrimination and failed to get jobs due to their physical condition, which had caused the DSLSA and the High Court to intervene.”

Some of those who were employed were quoted by The Asian Age. One of the recruited transgenders, 29-year-old Babli, said that her own family abandoned her and nobody gave her job because of her gender.

Narrating their woes, 38-year-old Nasreen Jahan and 25-year-old Sapna, who are acid attack survivors, said that they had been struggling to get a job. Jahan’s husband had thrown acid on her face and she has to look after her two daughters as a single parent, and Sapna was attacked by one of her relatives who wanted to marry her regardless of her refusal.

Shobha, who is just 24, is the youngest in the group. She considers herself lucky after getting the job in the High Court, while 29-year-old Mamta, who has studied till class eight shared the same thought. She said, “Normally acid attack survivors have to face discrimination when it comes to getting a job.”

The Logical Indian community applauds the move by the High Court to provide transgenders and acid attack survivors with employment. We believe that this move will not only provide livelihoods to them but also empower sexual minorities in our society. The best way to bring such individuals to mainstream society is to remove the stigma surrounding them and to empower them in every possible way.