Govt in favour of life sentence to acid throwers

“Most of the states governments are in the favour of harsher punishment to acid thrower on the women,” said additional solicitor general Mohan Parasaran to SC. This statement of additional solicitor general came during the hearing of same case of Laxmi, who had filed a Public Interest Litigation to seek out strict measures from the government against this heinous crime.

During the hearing of the case, Parasaran informed to a three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishan, Justice L S Panta and Justice P Sathasivam, “Most of the state governments were in favour of strengthening the provisions of IPC to take care of the offence of acid attack and attack by other corrosive substances even by hot water.”

For this, ‘A new section 326A can be added in Section 326 of Indian Penal Code, which is already made by some of the state governments against this crime,’ suggested Parasaran to the court.

Presently the cases of acid attack are registered under IPC Sections 329, 322 and 325 covering severe damage, willingly causing dire hurt and punishment for dreadful hurt.

Informing to apex court, Parasaran said that the Centre had convened a meeting of representatives of state governments in this regard and asked their suggestions. Most of the state governments were ready to make the law stricter to punish the culprit.

The hearing bench in this response has granted some time to Centre to file a formal affidavit in this regard.

The Central government along with most of the states were in the favour of introducing new section 326A IPC, for making the acid attack punishment more stricter in which they were asking a minimum punishment of 10 years of strict imprisonment and maximum life-term imprisonment while in “attempting to throw acid” case, they were in the favour of a minimum sentence of seven years with a fine of minimum Rs 1 lakh from the offender, as Central government informed SC after considering the suggestions from States and Union Territories. Suggestions were made to the Union Home Ministry, at a meeting held at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi, on July 07.

According to sources, ‘The state governments are also in favour of guaranteed compensation to the victims and for this, Centre is exercising to amend the section of 357 of Criminal Procedure Code to ensure the adequate compensation for rehabilitating the victim.’

But they (state governments) are opposing to prohibit the selling of acids as it is used in multi places and in house holds,’ sources added.

The licensing of the sale of acid would lead to Inspector Raj, as governments argued in the favour of not prohibiting the sale of acids.

The demands of amending the IPC and CrPC law came in the wake of rising cases of throwing acids, hot water or corrosive substance in the country with the motto of defacing and disfiguring the women.

A minor Delhities girl Laxmi, who filed a PIL of the same cases, led the government to call for strict law against this monstrous crime. She was burned by her estranged lover, who had thrown acid on her for not accepting her proposal. Her counselor Aparna Bhat had filled the petition seeking justice for the poor victim.

Defining this crime ‘worse than murder’, the apex court has directed the Centre to amend in IPC and CrPC to prohibit this crime in future and also granted it some time for further proceeding.