A Delhi court sentenced two people to 11 years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) on Monday for throwing acid on a girl. While announcing the quantum of the punishment, the judge said the attack not only harmed the victim physically but also affected her mentally and socially.
The court also imposed a fine of Rs 2 lakh on the accused, identified as Bharat and his friend Mahender. The victim, Sapna, had reportedly turned down Bharat's marriage proposal a number of times.
Additional Sessions Judge Sanjeev Kumar Malhotra held that 'the convicts not only caused physical injuries but also left a permanent scar on the victim's face. Therefore, such cases need to be dealt with sternly and to show leniency would be travesty of justice'.
According to Sapna, she first met Bharat during her cousin Deepak's wedding, following which they started talking on the phone. She said Bharat proposed her for marriage several times but she refused. She did not tell Deepak about this as she feared this might spoil the relationship between him and Bharat. The two are brothers-in-law.
On August 7, 2013, the accused spoke to the victim on her friend Rakhi's phone and threatened her. The same day in the evening, he came along with his friend Mahender on a motorcycle and threw acid on her. She was rushed to hospital, where her cousin Deepak warned her against lodging an FIR.
In her first statement, the traumatised victim said that she did not see who attacked her, but later she named Bharat and Mahender.
The testimony of Sapna's friends Rakhi and Laxmi also proved the accused guilty.
Meanwhile, Bharat denied all allegations and said he was falsely implicated. A personal search of Mahender, who is related to Bharat, however, revealed acid spots on his left hand.
"In view of the evidence, including medical record and other material, it is sufficient to conclude that both the accused shared common intention. Thus, they both are held guilty and convicted," the judge said.
The court further directed that the fine deposited by the accused should be given to the victim for her treatment as she has already spent over Rs 3 lakh and also lost her job due to the incident.
