SC slams govt on acid attack cases

“People are dying but you are not worried. Think of the people who are losing their lives every day. Think of the girl who died recently after she was attacked with acid. We are sorry to see but you don’t look concerned at all. Seriousness is not seen on the part of government in handling the issue,” said the Bench.

Incensed over the fact that there was no draft policy or scheme prepared by the Centre even after assuring the court in April,the Bench said the government kept on seeking adjournments to have consultation with all states in order to come up with a policy but nothing seemed to have happened.

“There is not even a suggestion that a meeting of Union home secretary with chief secretaries or other representatives from all the states ever took place. No compliance report has been filed in this court in last two months. It seems the Centre is not interested in this issue,” observed the Bench.

It gave the Centre a week to come up with a draft policy and made it clear that it would pass orders on the next date of hearing if it failed to act by then.

In April,the court,on an assurance by the Solicitor General,had agreed to wait for the Centre and the state governments to explore ways to regulate the sale of acids for domestic use before it mulled a proposition to imposes a complete ban on the chemical.

Earlier,it had directed the Centre to convene a meeting of Chief Secretaries of all states and Union Territories for framing a policy or enacting a proper law to regulate the sale of acids and a policy for treatment,compensation and care and rehabilitation of such victims. The court is hearing a PIL by a Delhi-based acid attack victim Laxmi.