The story so far:
When a Delhi court acquitted the three main accused in a vicious 2009 acid attack case on December 24, 2025, it was not just a devastating end to the 16-year battle for justice fought by survivor and social activist Shaheen Malik, but also shone a harsh light on the legal and judicial scenario facing acid attack survivors in the country. Ms. Malik was a 26-year-old MBA student and counsellor in Panipat when she was attacked outside her workplace. She underwent 25 reconstructive surgeries and lost vision in one eye, but continued her legal battle through it all. She plans to appeal the verdict in the Delhi High Court but says the verdict will discourage other survivors from seeking justice. Hers is not an isolated story: of 703 acid attack cases in the courts in 2023, the last year for which data is available, there were 16 convictions and 27 acquittals.
What are acid attacks? How often do they take place?
An acid attack is an assault where a corrosive substance is thrown on a person with the intention of harming them. Sulphuric, hydrochloric, and nitric acid are the most commonly used substances, though others are also used. Such attacks, which can melt the skin and flesh, exposing and even dissolving bones, can cause excruciating pain, severe burns, scarring, blindness and other disabilities, maiming and other deformities, disfigurement, especially on the face, or even put a victim into a permanent vegetative state. Apart from the physical injuries, acid attacks cause significant psychological trauma and socio-economic harm.
The majority of the victims of acid attacks in India are women and young girls, while perpetrators are almost always men, making this a form of gender-based violence. Children are also collateral damage at times when standing next to the intended victim. An analysis of 55 cases in India commissioned by the U.K.-based Acid Survivors Trust International (ASTI) in 2024 found that in cases with women victims, motives were related to personal relationship issues in three-fourths of the cases. They were often revenge attacks against women who had spurned romantic or sexual advances by men. Dowry-related disputes, suspicions of infidelity, and domestic abuse are also cited as motives. In a few cases, property disputes, professional jealousy, and political rivalry were involved, and these were more common motives in the case of male victims.
According to the National Crime Records Bureau, there were 207 reported cases of acid attacks in India in 2023, the last year for which data is available, an increase from 202 in 2022 and 176 in 2021. There were also 65 cases of acid attack attempts. The crime is severely underreported due to societal stigma, family pressure, and fear of retaliation. ASTI estimates that there are likely 1,000 attacks per year in India.
In 2023, 57 reported acid attacks took place in West Bengal, 31 in Uttar Pradesh and 15 in Gujarat, the three worst affected States according to the NCRB. Researchers say that apart from patriarchal attitudes and poor law enforcement, the geographical prevalence of acid attacks is also linked to the location of industries which use acid, including textiles and rubber, making the substances easily available.
What are the laws against acid attacks in India?
After the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling in Laxmi vs Union of India, 2013, the Indian Penal Code was amended to include specific sections on acid attacks, moving the crime out of sections on general injuries. With the IPC being replaced by the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita in 2023, the crime is now covered by Section 124, which mandates a punishment of a minimum of ten years in prison up to life imprisonment, and a “just and reasonable” fine to meet the victim’s medical expenses. An acid attack attempt is to be punished by five to seven years imprisonment. The law also requires all public and private hospitals to provide first aid and medical treatment to acid attack victims, free of cost. Failure to do so is punishable with one year imprisonment and/or a fine.
The Supreme Court’s 2013 order also mandated that the availability and sale of acid is to be regulated, with buyers needing to produce a photo ID and sellers required to keep a register of such purchases. However, this is poorly implemented in most States.
Ms. Malik’s 16-year saga is a brutal lesson in how the law is actually implemented when a survivor goes to court. “There is a complete failure of the system. Just the fact that I did not get a verdict for 16 years when the case should have been completed in six months is a denial of justice. The police investigation was shoddy, there was evidence that was ignored, there was extreme judicial insensitivity… The judge even falsely accused me of having an emotional relationship with the accused,” she told The Hindu. “The investigating officer pushed me to settle the case instead of taking it to court and the accused offered me crores of rupees. I did not take one paisa because I wanted my rights, not money… Who will be willing to go to court after this?” she asks, noting that not one of the 300 survivors supported by her Brave Souls Foundation has yet secured a conviction in their trials, though most have been offered out-of-court settlements. Ms. Malik also had to go to court to get the ₹3 lakh she is entitled to from the State as compensation, receiving the money nine years after the crime.
In 2023, the NCRB reported that police were investigating 113 acid attack cases, along with 53 cases pending from the previous year, and 86 cases were chargesheeted and sent for trial. There were 649 cases pending trial from the previous year. The accused were convicted in only 16 cases, including pending cases, while 27 cases saw acquittal in the course of the year.
What steps are needed to end this crime and support survivors?
Survivors have called for a more comprehensive ban on the sale of acid and stricter implementation of the existing rules. “The sub-divisional magistrate is responsible for monitoring acid sale; has even one SDM been punished for illegal sales? In Bangladesh, a shop is sealed within 30 days if they are openly selling acid,” says Ms. Malik. The neighbouring country passed stringent laws against acid sale and attack in 2002, accompanied by large-scale public awareness campaigns, after which the number of reported attacks has fallen 15% to 20% each year, according to the Acid Survivors Foundation of Bangladesh; from 494 attacks in 2002, there were only 13 attacks in 2024.
Sensitisation of judges, public prosecutors and judges, fast track courts, legal support and counselling for victims, and penalisation of judicial delays is essential for improving conviction rates and creating a stronger deterrent. Compensation amounts need to be paid within months so that survivors can access treatment. The Justice J.S. Verma Committee’s recommendations for a national fund to cover lifelong medical, psychological, educational, and skilling needs of survivors must be implemented for comprehensive rehabilitation.
Published – January 04, 2026 05:52 am IST
