Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir): A court in Jammu and Kashmir's Srinagar on Tuesday sentenced two acid convicts in the 2014 Srinagar acid attack case to life imprisonment while terming the attack as “horrific”. The court also recommended the case of the victim to the J&K Legal Service Authority to award the maximum compensation to the victim in terms of the J&K Victim Compensation Scheme, 2019.
The quantum of punishment was announced by Principal District and Sessions Court Srinagar Jawad Ahmed six days after holding the two accused Irshad Amin Wani and Umer Noor guilty in “horrific" case of throwing acid on a 20-year-old law student at Nowshera Srinagar way back on 11 Dec. 2014. In the judgment order, the Principal District and Sessions Judge sentenced the convicts to 10 years of imprisonmentand fine of Rs 25,000 each for the offence punishable under Section 120-B RPC adding that in default of payment of fine, they shall undergo further imprisonment for one year.
“The convicts are sentenced to suffer imprisonment for life and fine of Rs 5 lakhs each for commission of offence punishable under Section 326-A RPC read with Section 120-B RPC,” reads the judgment. “The execution of this sentence shall be subject to the confirmation by the Hon’ble High Court in terms of Section 376 CrPC Svt, 1989. The fine, when recovered, shall be paid to the victim in terms of proviso 1 and 2 of Section 326-A RPC,” it said.
“In default of payment of fine, the convicts shall undergo rigorous imprisonment for three years. The convicts are also sentenced to imprisonment for 3 years for offence punishable under Section 201 RPC read with 120-B RPC with fine of Rs 10,000/- each and in default of such fine they shall undergo further imprisonment for six months. The sentence awarded to the convicts for different offences shall run concurrently,” added the judgment.
Also read: J&K court reserves judgment in 2014 Srinagar acid attack case
The judge said that in view of the huge amount the victim has incurred on her treatment and the amount which is required for her further treatment, “I deem it appropriate to recommend the case of the victim to the Member Secretary, J&K Legal Service Authority to award the maximum compensation to the victim in terms of the J&K Victim Compensation Scheme, 2019, of course subject to the adjustment of the interim compensation already paid to her under the scheme”.
“After careful consideration of the submissions made by both the sides and having regard to the nature of the attack, the permanent disfiguration caused to the victim by the use of corrosive substance by the convicts in furtherance of criminal conspiracy and the impact of the disfiguration on the future life of the victim both physical and emotional, I find that the convicts do not deserve leniency and no other punishment except the maximum punishment of life imprisonment prescribed under law for their act can do the real and complete justice to the victim,” the court said.
Reacting to the sentence, the victim while talking to ETV Bharat, thanked the court for the verdict and demanded rehabilitation by the government. The victim said that her fight for other acid attack victims will continue and demanded a blanket ban on the sale of acid. The court had on Saturday reserved the verdict after hearing arguments of Special Public Prosecutor AA Teeli who demanded maximum punishment of life imprisonment for the convicted while counsel representing the duo sought lesser punishment of ten years, considering mitigating circumstances.
On Thursday, the court held the accused duo-Irshad Amin Wani alias Sunny, a resident of Wazirbagh Srinagar and Umar Noor of Bemina Srinagar- guilty of the offence under RPC’s Sections of 326-A (Voluntarily causing grievous hurt by use of acid), 201 (destroying evidence) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy). The acid attack dats back to 11 Dec. 2014 when the female law student was grievously injured in the acid attack near Nowshera on the city outskirts while she was on way to her college.
Following the attack, a Special Investigation Team was constituted by the then IGP Kashmir A.G. Mir under supervision of then SSP Srinagar Amit Kumar with then SP Rayees Mohammad Bhat (presently DIG South Kashmir). The team arrested the two accused within a fortnight.
