What are the offences and punishments under this law?

[Trigger Warning: The following content contains information on physical violence which some readers may find disturbing.] 

The crimes relating to acid attacks have been specified under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 and the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023. Anyone can be punished for the crimes given below regardless of their gender. They are:

Throwing acid or attempting to throw acid

Throwing acid on a person and hurting them is a crime. The punishment for throwing acid is jail time of minimum 10 years that can be extended to life imprisonment along with a fine that is reasonable enough to meet the medical expenses of the acid attack survivor.¹

Additionally, throwing or attempting to throw acid on a person is also a crime. The punishment is jail time of a minimum of 5 years and can be extended to 7 years, along with a fine.¹

Helping someone throw acid

Helping someone throw acid is also a crime. Helping someone commit a crime is known as abetment under the law. The punishment for abetment is the same as the punishment for throwing¹ or attempting to throw acid² on another person.

Refusing to treat or provide free immediate treatment to an acid attack survivor

An acid attack survivor has a right to medical treatment and a hospital refusing to provide such treatment is a crime under the law. A complaint can be filed before the police against a person who refuses to treat the survivor.³

Besides the specific acid attack crimes in the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, other crimes can also be implicated or written in the FIR or charge sheet by the police in the case of acid attacks. These include murder,⁴ attempt to murder,⁵ hurting someone with dangerous weapons,⁶ and causing grievous hurt.⁷

1. Section 124, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. [↩] [↩] [↩]
2. Section 49, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023; Section 124, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 [↩]
3. Section 397, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023. [↩]
4. Section 117, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 [↩]
5. Section 109, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. [↩]
6. Section 118, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. [↩]
7. Section 117(2), Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. [↩]