Acid attack survivor’s compensation raised from ₹3 lakh to ₹15 lakh
Pioneer News Service
Ranchi
The Jharkhand High Court has enhanced the compensation payable to an acid attack survivor from ₹3 lakh to ₹15 lakh, holding that the amount awarded under the State’s victim compensation scheme was grossly inadequate considering the severe physical injuries, repeated surgeries and lifelong trauma suffered by the victim.
A Division Bench of Justice Rongon Mukhopadhyay and Justice Pradeep Kumar Srivastava passed the order while allowing an appeal filed by Rahul Kumar, who had challenged a 2019 Single Judge order refusing to enhance the compensation beyond ₹3 lakh.
The matter dates back to 2012. The petitioner, Rahul Kumar, a resident of Ranchi, was studying at home when a dispute broke out between his 10-year-old cousin and a neighbor’s child. When Rahul intervened to stop a neighboring woman from using abusive language, the enraged woman brought acid from her house and threw it at his face.
The attack left Rahul’s face severely disfigured, destroyed parts of his eyelids, caused serious damage to both ears, and left deep injuries on his neck, chest, and left hand. To date, Rahul has undergone 14 plastic surgeries, lost a significant portion of his eyesight, and suffered from 45% permanent disability. His treatment has already cost over ₹25 lakh, with multiple future surgeries still required. Due to severe financial crisis and ongoing medical treatment, he could not file the appeal on time.
A division bench condoned the 1374-day delay, ruling that for an acid attack survivor, medical treatment and life’s challenges outweigh litigation.
Highlighting the trauma of such crimes, the bench remarked “An acid attack does not merely wound the face; it wounds the very soul of a person.”
The court expressed grave concern over the gender disparity in the state government’s compensation schemes, which provided different provisions for male and female victims.
The bench noted that “Acid does not discriminate based on the gender of a person while causing harm; therefore, equality must be ensured in the compensation scheme.”
The court directed the state government to amend its 2016 Jharkhand Victim Compensation Scheme to ensure just compensation for male victims as well. The High Court termed the initial ₹3 lakh compensation vastly inadequate for the victim’s suffering and rehabilitation. It directed the state government to pay an additional ₹12 lakh to Rahul Kumar within eight weeks (bringing the total compensation to ₹15 lakh). The court also directed to reimburse all actual medical expenses for future treatments promptly upon the submission of relevant documents.
