Court also imposes Rs 40 lakh fine
Srinagar, March 6: District and Sessions Court here sentenced the main accused in the Hawal acid attack case to life imprisonment and a fine of Rs 40 lakh on Wednesday.
Principal District & Sessions Judge, Srinagar, Jawad Ahmad, pronounced the judgement.
The acid attack on the woman occurred on February 1, 2022, in the Hawal area of Srinagar city, leaving her face permanently disfigured.
Sajad Altaf Sheikh of Dalgate (Srinagar), the main accused, along with a juvenile, threw acid at a 24-year-old woman after she rejected his marriage proposal.
An SIT was formed by the police to promptly investigate the case and bring the guilty to justice, registering a case under sections 326-A and 120-B of the penal code.
The court ordered the fine to be recovered from the movable and immovable properties of the accused and paid to the victim.
“After careful consideration of the submissions made by both sides and having regard to the nature of the attack, the permanent disfiguration caused to the victim by the use of corrosive substance by the convict, and the impact of the disfiguration on the future life of the victim, both physical and emotional,” court said.
It added: “I find that the convict does not deserve leniency. No punishment except the maximum punishment of life imprisonment prescribed under the law for his act can do real and complete justice to the victim.”
Accordingly, the convict was sentenced to life imprisonment and fined Rs 40 lakhs for the offence punishable under Section 326-A IPC read with Section 34 IPC.
“In default of payment of fine, a warrant for levy shall be issued to the District Collector, Srinagar, authorizing him to realize the amount of fine as arrears of land revenue from the movable or immovable property or both of the convict,” the court added.
The court specified that once the fine is recovered from the convict, it shall be paid to the victim in accordance with proviso 2 to Section 326-A of IPC.
