SRINAGAR : Jammu and Kashmir High Court (HC) has directed the government to pay Rs 3 lakhs to a law student who was injured in an acid attack in the down town city on December 11.
Meanwhile, the acid victim will be operated upon in a Chennai hospital today.
A division bench of the High Court comprisings Justice Muzaffar Hussain Attar and Bansi Lal Bhat gave the direction on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by High Court Bar Association (HCBA) seeking setting up of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by a senior police officer and proper investigation into the case. A law student was attacked by two unidentified persons with acid in Nowshera area of the outskirts on December 11. The attackers later fled away from the spot in a Maruti car and people so far clueless.
The court directed the state through Chief Secretary and Divisional Commissioner Kashmir to pay Rs 3 lakh to the victim in keeping with the directions of the apex court in the Laximi case.
The apex court had directed that the acid attack victims be paid compensation of at least Rs 3 lakh by the respective state government or union territory as the aftercare and rehabilitation cost.
The Supreme court order said that victim shall be paid Rs 1 lakh within 15 days for immediate treatment and rest of the amount be paid as expeditiously as may be possible and positively within two months after the incident. The High Court directed the government to pay the compensation immediately and file the compliance report on December 22.
The court observed that the issue raised in the PIL was of considerable public importance and asked Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kashmir to monitor the investigation and file a compliance report. IGP Abdul Gani Mir chaired a high-level meeting of senior officers to review the investigation into acid attack case yesterday.
A police spokesperson said police have got several leads and investigators are working round the clock to identify and nab the accused.
The IGP sought a daily briefing from the investigators with regard to the progress and developments of the case. He emphasised “besides a professional requirement to nab the culprits, it’s a challenge to our moral consciousness to eradicate this menace from our society.” The girl, who suffered damage in her eye and face, was shifted to Chennai where she will be operated upon. (AGENCIES)
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