Compensation of mere Rs 3 lakh no help to acid attack survivors: SC

NEW DELHI: Terming "insufficient" the minimum compensation of Rs 3 lakh for acid attack survivors, the Supreme Court on Monday instructed state governments to treat victims on a par with disabled persons so that they can access the benefits of reservation in government jobs and other social welfare schemes.
"We direct all the states and Union Territories to consider the plight of such victims and take appropriate steps with regard to inclusion of their names under the disability list," the bench said.Hearing a case, the court directed the Bihar government to pay Rs 10 lakh to Chanchal, who suffered 90% burns on her face after an acid attack in 2012. Her younger sister, who also suffered burns in the incident, is to be paid Rs 3 lakh.
"Keeping in view the impact of acid attack on the victim's social, economical and personal life, we need to enhance the amount of compensation. We cannot be oblivious of the fact that the victim of acid attack requires permanent treatment for the damaged skin. The mere amount of Rs 3 lakh will not be of any help to such a victim," it said.
In this case, the sisters were paid only Rs 2.42 lakh in compensation by the state government, and were also not even given proper treatment by government hospitals in Patna and Delhi, forcing them to approach the SC through NGO Parivartan Kendra.
The petitioner alleged that an SC order on providing free treatment to acid attack victims was not being followed, and that the state governments had failed in curbing the sale of acid.
Despite the court's direction for regulating sale of acid, the cases of acid attacks on women continue, and more than 309 such cases were registered in the country in 2014 out of which 185 incidents were from Uttar Pradesh. Madhya Pradesh witnessed the second highest number of cases with 57. No acid attack incident was reported in any Union Territory except Delhi where 27 such cases were registered in 2013.Agreeing with the petitioner, the bench said, "We have come across many instances of acid attacks across the country. These attacks have been rampant for the simple reason that there has been no proper implementation of the regulations or control for the supply and distribution of acid."
"When we consider the instant case of the victims, the very sight of the victim is traumatizing for us. If we could be traumatized by the mere sight of injuries caused to the victim by the inhumane acid attack on her, what would be the situation of the victim be, perhaps, we cannot judge," it said.