Shocked over an Andhra Pradesh High Court decision where a man, convicted of pouring acid on a woman for spurning his marriage proposal, was allowed to be released from jail after just one month of imprisonment, the Supreme Court said that such cases deserve no mercy.
Sending the man back to prison to serve the remaining 11 months of his one-year rigorous prison term, the apex Bench slapped him with a further compensation of `50,000 to be paid within six months, failing which he will serve another six months in jail. The Bench of Justices Dipak Misra and R Banumathi also directed the State Government of Andhra Pradesh to award `3 lakh as compensation for the victim, R Sasikala within three months.
The HC showed compassion to the accused looking into his weak economic status, the social strata to which he belonged, and the burden of looking after his old parents. Finding these grounds to be no justification for the horrendous crime he committed on May 24, 2003, the Bench said, "The case at hand is an example of uncivilized and heartless crime committed by the accused. It is completely unacceptable that concept of leniency can be conceived of in such a crime. It is individually as well as collectively intolerable."
The victim's lawyer Aparna Bhatt told the court that the accused acted with vengeance after the young girl's family refused to accept his marriage proposal. On the fateful day, he forcefully entered the victim's house with a bottle of acid. She had just stepped out after having a bath when the accused poured the contents of the bottle on her head, causing permanent disfiguration of her face and body parts.
Expressing shock and discontent over the HC decision, the Bench said, "When a substantive sentence of 30 days is imposed, in the crime of present nature, the sense of justice is not only ostracized but also is unceremoniously sent to 'Vanaprastha'. It is wholly impermissible." The Bench further reminded the courts below that while deciding sentence, the judge must be careful about the expectation of the collective from the court for the society at large eagerly waits for justice.
