States and Union Territories will have to pay acid attack victims a minimum sum of Rs 3 lakh within two months of the incident, and an amount Rs 1 lakh has to be provided within the initial 15 days itself, the Supreme Court ruled on Thursday.
The apex court also directed them to frame rules to regulate the sale of acid as a poisonous substance. The ruling would provide some relief to such victims, whose medical treatment expenses touch astronomical figures. The Bench of Justices RM lodha and FM Ibrahim Kalifullah directed that the victim should receive the initial sum of Rs 1 lakh within 15 days and the remaining sum of Rs 2 lakh within two months.
The direction of the court came in a PIl filed by an acid attack victim laxmi, who, through her counsel Aparna Bhatt, pursued for stringent steps to regulate or prohibit open sale of acids. After that Centre decided to declare acid under Poisons Act 1919 and framed Model Rules to ensure details of acid purchase were kept with the sellers, the court directed both parties to sit together and propose interim measures.
The court gave States and UTs three months to adopt the Model Rules or frame similar rules to ensure that acid was sold only to buyers with registered purpose or persons whose details were known. The Rules required every person selling all forms of acids to maintain a log/ register with details of purchaser (name, address) and quantity sold. The buyer will have to produce a photo identity proof and specify the reason for purchasing acid.
The court made it mandatory for each seller to deposit details of the log/ register to the sub-divisional magistrate within 15 days of sale. In the event of non-disclosure, the stock would be confiscated and the seller slapped with a maximum fine of Rs 50,000. The court expected both the Centre and State to work towards making offences under the Poisons Act cognisable and non-bailable. The court even directed the SDM to monitor use of acids by educational institutions, research laboratories, hospitals, Government departments and PSUs and suggested that in educational institutions, a person should monitor and frisk students visiting labs where acid is stored. The States were directed to give publicity to its order through vernacular newspapers and local TV channels.