HC asks Delhi Police to curb illegal sale of acids

Taking strong note of acid attacks on women, the Delhi High Court has termed it a "dastardly and cowardly act" and directed the city police to curb illegal sale of acid and ensure strong action against those engaged in it.

A division bench of Justice G.S. Sistani and Sangeeta Dhingra Sehgal said the act of throwing acid should be controlled with an "iron hand" and those found guilty of selling acid illegally should be punished with as heavily.

"Throwing of acid on helpless victims, mostly women, is on the rise, which is a dastardly and cowardly act and the same is to be controlled with an iron hand. It sometimes leaves them disfigured, blind and, as in this case, even dead," the bench said.

The court's direction came while hearing an appeal of a convict challenging the November 2011 order of trial court sentencing him to life imprisonment for throwing acid on his wife after she refused to live with him.

Umesh Kumar on Nov 15, 2006 had made his wife drink acid and also poured it over her when she was walking on the road in Punjabi Bagh, the prosecution has said.

The woman was earlier married to Nagendra Kumar Gupta in 1988 and they have three children.

In 2004, she went with Umesh Kumar, an auto driver, and informed Gupta that she had got married to him.

She remained with Umesh Kumar for about one and a half years but thereafter she returned to Gupta and started living with his family. Umesh Kumar insisted she live with him but she refused and on one day, he poured acid on her, said police.

The high court refused to reduce his punishment and relied upon the dying declaration of the victim.

"We also find that in this case the prosecution has been able to establish the motive as Umesh Kumar became annoyed and committed murder of the victim on account of her refusal to live with him," said the court, but said the investigating officer has not performed his duty with sincerity as efforts should have been made to ascertain the source of acid.

"We find in the entire evidence that no effort has been made during investigation to investigate the source from where the acid was procured by the appellant. We find the investigating officer has not performed his duty with sincerity as efforts should have been made to ascertain the source of acid and to take necessary steps against the sale of acid illegally," the court said in its judgment.

Sending the copy of the judgment to Police Commissioner, the bench asked him to "ensure that strong action is taken against the persons, who sell acid illegally and a circular be issued to the department to ensure that every effort should be made to curb sale of acid illegally and, those found guilty should be punished with a heavy hand".