BBC News, 18
July 2013
Rape
scandal
 |
| Acid attacks leave victims, mostly women, disfigured for life |
The court
said that acid should be sold only to people who show a valid identity card.
Buyers will
also have explain why they need the chemical and sales will have to be reported
to the police.
There will
also be more compensation for victims. There are an estimated 1,000 acid
attacks a year in India.
The
victims, who have to live with terrible disfigurements, are mainly women and
are often targeted by jealous partners, correspondents say.
In
Thursday's ruling, the Supreme Court ordered that acid should be not be sold to
anyone under the age of 18. It also ruled that there should be no bail allowed
for the offence.
In
addition, victims of acid attacks will be entitled to more financial help from
state governments - the court said compensation of at least 300,000 rupees
(£3,320; $5,000) must be paid to help rehabilitate them after their ordeal.
New
penalties
The Indian
government has been accused of being too slow to deal with the issue of acid
attacks.
Earlier
this month, the Supreme Court strongly criticised the government for failing to
formulate a policy to reduce such attacks.
It says it
wants to see these new measures enforced within the next three months.
Campaigners
hope it will lead to a fall in the number of crimes committed, as happened in
Bangladesh when it bought in restrictions on acid sales.
Acid
attacks are a problem throughout South Asia, with cases also reported in
Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Campaigners
say women who reject boyfriends, husbands or employers are often targeted by
men using easily available and cheap chemicals.
Earlier
this year, India introduced tough new legislation to counter violence against
women.
The
legislation contains harsher penalties for rapists, including the death
penalty, and up to 10 years in jail for acid attacks.
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