On July 27th, 2023, a bench of chief justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Sanjeev Narula at the Delhi High Court rejected the plea to put a blanket ban on the sale of acid in retail stores much to the dismay of survivors and those against its sale.
The court stated that “Acid serves a variety of legitimate uses and applications in different industries, and a blanket prohibition could inadvertently affect businesses and individuals who require it for lawful purposes.”
Also that a ban could have “unintended consequences, affecting sectors where acid is responsibly and safely utilised”.
The plea had been filed by 39-year-old Shaheen Malik an acid attack survivor herself and an activist helping victims with “aftercare, rehabilitation, legal recourse, and pursuit for compensation.”
Instead, the court deferred to the Delhi government on the matter and told them to make sure the existing rules and regulations for the sale of acid are strictly implemented and that strict penalties and action be taken against those who engage in the illegal sale or misuse of the item.
Read More: 5 Immediate Measures You Should Take To Minimize The Effect Of Acid Attack On Someone
Survivors Not Happy With The Decision
This is not the first time that people have asked for a complete ban on the sale of acid in the national capital. In 2019 the Delhi women’s panel had sought one and at other times across the years, people have asked that something be done about the rampant acid sale not only in the capital but also across the country.
Ms. Malik speaking with The Hindu said that “The number of acid attacks speaks for itself,” and that she “will certainly appeal the verdict.” She further added that the argument about acid being used for toilet cleaning and other areas doesn’t stand since now “there are viable alternatives available for these tasks”.
Along with that the urge for stricter implementation of the rules by the court also doesn’t really work since time has proven such requests to not be met properly and prove inadequate.
Rashmi, a 25-year-old acid attack survivor from Haryana said “We had the expectation of a more stringent directive from the High Court, but it was not met.” She revealed how she had to get underwent multiple surgeries each costing over Rs. 6 lakh.
A Twitter user also posted after the verdict that “The Delhi court has not allowed ban of acid sale but called for stricter enforcement of regulations. But a story we did a few months ago in Kerala showed that it was still easy to buy acid from a chemical shop.”
Activists also believe that “despite the partial ban placed on acid sale, it is easily available in the market” and thus a partial ban is clearly not helping with the situation.
In January of this year National Commission for Women (NCW) Chairperson Rekha Sharma also said that “Despite the Supreme Court ban, the truth is that acid still remains available for sale. It must be ensured that strict provisions are kept in place to stop the unregulated sale of acid. No society can be considered civilised if it does not act to prevent such a heinous atrocity on women.”
Image Credits: Google Images
Feature Image designed by Saudamini Seth
Sources: The Economic Times, Hindustan Times, The Hindu
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This post is tagged under: Acid Sale, Acid Sale ban, Acid Sale india, acid india, acid attack india, Acid Sale delhi hc, delhi high court, Acid ban delhi hc, acid blanket ban
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