NEW DELHI: Refusing to grant bail to an accused on the ground of prolonged incarceration in an acid attack case, the Delhi High Court has said it cannot close its eyes to the unseen psychological pain of the victim. It said it was essential to establish a formidable deterrent to such offences.
An acid attack, the high court said, was “among the most grievous crimes in contemporary society” and the accused’s agony of long incarceration has to be appreciated on similar lines as the victim’s wait for justice. The accused sought his release on the ground that the minimum punishment for the offence was 10 years and he had already spent nine years in judicial custody.
Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma said an acid attack, which is a very serious offence, often results in life-altering injuries, causing not only physical pain but also emotional scars that may never heal, and in such cases, the court’s role as a guardian of justice needs to come to the fore.
“This court cannot close its eyes to the unseen psychological pain, and the aftermath faced by the victim which continues throughout her life and how this incident may have evoked fear and insecurity in many girls in the society,” said the court in an order dated September 4.
Acid attacks send shockwaves and the court’s role in granting or denying bail is of vital significance, added the judge. In the present case, a 30-year-old woman, working as a senior resident in a government hospital here, became a victim of an acid attack in broad daylight in the Rajouri Garden area in 2014. It was alleged that another doctor conspired with the bail applicant to throw acid on the victim after she rejected his marriage proposal.
