HAWAL ACID ATTACK CASE | Court reserves decision on quantum of punishment

Srinagar, Mar 5:  The Principal Sessions Court here on Tuesday reserved its decision on the quantum of punishment for the man who has been convicted for throwing acid on a 24-year-old woman at Hawal area in Downtown in February 2022.

Principal Sessions Judge Srinagar Jawad Ahmed reserved the judgment after hearing the parties. The judgment is likely to be pronounced at around 3 pm today.

The Court in its decision on March 4, convicted Sajid Altaf Sheikh son of Muhammad Altaf Sheikh of Buchwara Dalgate after finding him guilty for commission of offence under section 326-A (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by use of acid, etc) of Indian Penal Code (IPC).

It also convicted another accused Muhammad Saleem Kumar son of Abdul Gani Kumar of Dalgate Srinagar Kumar for commission of offence under section 336 (Whoever does any act so rashly or negligently as to endanger human life or the personal safety of others of IPC).

On behalf of the prosecution, Public Prosecutor Ajaz Ahmad, today argued that the convict deserves life sentence as he has committed a “heinous crime”. The severe punishment to the convict will serve as deterrent to others and will be for the betterment of society.

He submitted that the victim underwent a series of surgeries and has not recovered completely yet.

Mir Naveed Gul, who had been engaged by District Legal Services Authority, Srinagar, to appear for the victim, submitted that the convict has committed a brutal act for the victim has lost complete vision in one eye and her other eye has also got damaged.

“She is destitute having no source of income and her mother sold her share of the ancestral property for the victim’s treatment”, Mir argued. “The victim deserves and needs to be compensated”, he said. He submitted that the victim underwent 23 surgeries and more than Rs 48 lakhs have been spent on her medical procedures.