Srinagar acid attack: Two convicts sentenced to life in jail

Srinagar: Principal Sessions Judge Jawad Ahmed on Tuesday sentenced two convicts to life imprisonment for attacking a law student with acid in Nowshera in 2014.

The judge also imposed a fine of ₹ 5 lakh each on the two convicts, Irshad Ahmad Wani @ Sunny and Mohammad Umar Noor.The court awarded the life sentence after noting that the “horrific act” of the convicts was not a spontaneous one, but rather a “well thought of, well planned and an organized act.”It also noted that photographs of the victim from before and after the attack themselves speak of the extent of damage caused by the attack. This has not only caused physical trauma but also mental trauma to the victim, the Court said.”Her photographs after the incident but, before repairs by skin grafting, reveal that the impact of the corrosive substance was such that the bones of her head, nose, around right eye and part of her right face had got exposed. Despite 28 surgeries she has undergone, as of date, the damage has not been repaired nor there are chances of its full repair … No one can imagine the plight of the poor parents of the victim, every day they have to look at the mangled face of their only daughter. They have also to live their life with this emotional trauma,” the judge observed.It thus opined that the convicts do not deserve any leniency.”No other punishment except the punishment of life imprisonment prescribed under law for their act can do the real and complete justice to the victim”, the court held.The court further recommended that the victim be awarded the maximum compensation possible in terms of the Jammu & Kashmir Victim Compensation Scheme, 2019. For this purpose, the case has been referred to the Jammu & Kashmir Legal Services Authority.On August 17, the Court convicted both the accused for the offences punishable under Section 326-A (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by use of acid, etc.), Section 120-B (punishment for criminal conspiracy), and Section 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of an offence or giving false evidence to screen offender) of the Ranbir Penal Code.The acid attack on the law student occurred on December 11, 2014, following which the police registered a criminal case in Soura police station, Srinagar.The investigation revealed that Irshad had been stalking the survivor for a significant period.