States told to give disability relief to acid attack victims

Legal Correspondent

New Delhi, December 7

The Supreme Court today asked the state governments to consider inclusion of acid attack victims in the disability list and offer them the benefits.

A Bench comprising Justices MY Eqbal and C Nagappan delivered the judgment on a petition by NGO Parivartan Kendra, seeking adequate compensation to two Dalit victims — Chanchal and Sonam of Bihar who were attacked by four eve-teasers in October 2012.

The victims sought a minimum compensation of Rs 3 lakh each under the July 2013 SC ruling in another related case. The apex court had also banned unrestricted retail sale of acid and directed the Centre and the states to make the offence non-bailable as part of the steps to sternly deal with the rising trend of acid attacks by jilted lovers.

As many as 310 acid attack cases were reported in 2014, against 6,685 and 83 incidents in the preceding years, petitioner’s senior counsel Colin Gonsalves had pleaded, citing statistics collected from the states.

Acknowledging that the family of the two young girls had already spent about Rs 5 lakh on their treatment, the SC directed the Bihar Government to pay a total compensation of Rs 13 lakh — Rs 10 lakh to Chanchal and Rs 3 lakh to Sonam. “We additionally direct all states and Union Territories to consider the plight of such victims and take appropriate steps with regard to their inclusion of their names under the disability list,” the apex court said.