Where does India stand on acid attacks? | Explained
The story so far:
When the Delhi court acquitted the three main accused in the violent 2009 acid attack case on December 24, 2025, it not only marked a devastating end to survivor and social activist Shaheen Malik’s 16-year-long fight for justice, but also shed a harsh light on the legal and judicial scenario faced by acid attack survivors in the country. Ms. Malik was a 26-year-old MBA student and consultant in Panipat and was attacked outside her workplace. He underwent 25 reconstructive surgeries and lost one of his eyes, but despite all this, he continued his legal fight. He plans to challenge the decision in the Delhi High Court but says the decision will deter other survivors from seeking justice. His is not an isolated story: of 703 acid attack cases heard in the courts in 2023 (the last year for which data is available), 16 resulted in convictions and 27 in acquittals.
What are acid attacks? How often do they happen?
An acid attack is an attack in which a corrosive substance is thrown at a person with the intention of harming them. Sulfuric, hydrochloric and nitric acid are the most commonly used substances, but others are also used. Such attacks, which can dissolve skin and flesh, expose or even dissolve bones, can cause excruciating pain, severe burns, scarring, blindness and other disabilities, mutilation and other deformities, especially facial disfigurements, and can even leave the victim in a permanent vegetative state. Acid attacks cause serious psychological trauma and socio-economic damage in addition to physical injuries.
While the majority of victims of acid attacks in India are women and young girls, the perpetrators are almost always men, making this a form of gender-based violence. Children also suffer collateral damage when they stand next to the intended victim. An analysis of 55 cases commissioned in India in 2024 by the UK-based Acid Survivors Foundation (ASTI) found that in cases with female victims, the motives were related to personal relationship issues in three-quarters of the cases. These were often revenge attacks against women who rejected men’s romantic or sexual advances. Disputes over dowry, suspicions of infidelity and domestic abuse are also cited as reasons. In a few cases property disputes, professional jealousy and political rivalry were involved, and these were more common causes in cases of male victims.
According to the National Crime Records Bureau, the number of acid attack cases reported in India in 2023 was 207; Last year for which data is available, this number was 202 in 2022 and 176 in 2021. There were also 65 cases of attempted acid attacks. Crime is severely underreported due to social stigma, family pressure, and fear of retaliation. ASTI estimates that there will likely be 1,000 attacks a year in India.
According to NCRB, 57 acid attacks were reported to have occurred in West Bengal, 31 in Uttar Pradesh and 15 in Gujarat in 2023; these were the three worst-hit states. Researchers say the geographical prevalence of acid attacks is linked to patriarchal attitudes and weak law enforcement, as well as the location of industries that use acid, including textiles and rubber, where these substances become readily available.
What are the laws against acid attacks in India?
After the historic decision of the Supreme Court Laxmi vs Union of IndiaIn 2013, the Indian Penal Code was amended to include specific sections on acid attacks, removing the offense from sections on general injuries. With the IPC being replaced by the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita in 2023, the crime now falls under Section 124, which provides for imprisonment of at least ten years to life imprisonment and a “just and reasonable” fine to meet the medical expenses of the victim. An attempted acid attack will be punishable by five to seven years in prison. The law also requires all public and private hospitals to provide first aid and medical treatment to acid attack victims free of charge. Failure to do so is punishable by one year in prison and/or a fine.
The Supreme Court’s 2013 ruling also required regulation of the availability and sale of acid, requiring buyers to produce photo identification and sellers to keep records of such purchases. However, this is not adequately enforced in most states.
Ms. Malik’s 16-year story is a brutal lesson in how the law actually applies when a survivor goes to court. “There is a complete flaw in the system. It is even unfair that I have not been able to make a decision for 16 years when the case should have been completed in 6 months. The police investigation was of poor quality, there was evidence ignored, there was extreme judicial insensitivity… The judge even accused me of having an emotional relationship with the defendant.” Hindu. “Instead of taking the case to court, the investigating officer forced me to settle the case and the accused offered me tons of rupees. I didn’t even take a paisa because I wanted my rights, not money… Who wants to go to court after this?” he asks, noting that none of the 300 survivors supported by the Brave Souls Foundation have yet achieved a conviction at their trials, although many have been offered out-of-court settlements. Ms Malik also had to go to court to get the ₹3 lakh she was entitled to from the State as compensation and received the money nine years after the crime.
In 2023, the NCRB reported that the police investigated 113 acid attack cases, as well as 53 pending cases from the previous year, and 86 cases were filed for criminal complaint and sent for hearing. Compared to the previous year, there were 649 cases awaiting trial. Defendants were convicted in only 16 cases, including pending cases; During the year, acquittal decisions were given in 27 cases.
What steps are needed to end this crime and support survivors?
Survivors called for a more comprehensive ban on the sale of acid and stricter enforcement of existing rules. “The sub-divisional magistrate is responsible for monitoring the sale of acid; has even an SDM been punished for illegal selling? In Bangladesh, a shop openly selling acid is sealed within 30 days,” says Ms. Malik. According to the Bangladesh Acid Survivors Foundation, the neighboring country passed strict laws against acid sales and attacks in 2002, followed by large-scale public awareness campaigns; thereafter, the number of reported attacks dropped by 15% to 20% each year; Of the 494 attacks in 2002, there were only 13 attacks in 2024.
Sensitizing judges, prosecutors and magistrates, expedited trials, legal support and counseling for victims, and punishing judicial delays are essential to improving conviction rates and creating stronger deterrence. Compensation amounts must be paid within months before survivors can access treatment. The recommendations of the Justice JS Verma Committee for a national fund to meet the life-long medical, psychological, educational and skill needs of survivors should be implemented for comprehensive rehabilitation.
It was published – 04 January 2026 05:52 IST
