Force-fed acid by husband, domestic abuse survivors wait for justice: A case study
There are hundreds of women who are facing a lifetime of pain because of these acid attacks where their spouses or in-laws fed them acid.
www.indiatoday.in
There are hundreds of women who are facing a lifetime of pain because of these acid attacks where their spouses or in-laws fed them acid.
She was 18 when she was married off. Over the next three years, she suffered a cycle of physical assault, dowry harassment and abuse by her husband and in-laws, running back home to her parents and then being sent back after the husband apologised in front of the panchayat.
In 2019, just days after she gave birth to a baby boy, she found chats between her husband and a woman and confronted him – a decision which had catastrophic consequences. This time, her husband held her down in bed and force-fed toilet cleaner acid to her.
It is now 2025, and 27-year-old Rashmi is still fighting for justice and is unable to eat or drink anything. Her food pipe (oesophagus) and intestines are burned, and she has undergone multiple surgeries over the years. On 'bad' days, she finds it painful to even swallow her own saliva.
For 28-year-old Ruman, it was her husband, mother-in-law and sister-in-law who lashed her with a leather belt till she fainted, then force-fed her acid.
Worse still, the accused husband took her to the hospital and told the doctors that she herself drank acid after a fight.
She was in no shape to give a statement to the police for several weeks, and once she was able to speak, she had to convince the police that it was her husband and mother-in-law who attacked her.
The trial in the case is still pending, but Ruman, who has an artificial food pipe and severely damaged intestines, says her husband was "never even arrested" and has not paid the maintenance amount that had been ordered by the court.
Almost six years of mental agony following the attack, Ruman still has to visit the hospital every three months for "dilation" of her burnt food pipe, and cannot swallow anything except liquids.
These are just two stories out of hundreds of women facing a lifetime of pain because of these acid attacks where their husbands or in-laws fed them acid.
On Thursday, a PIL in the Supreme court raised the issue of survivors of such forced acid ingestion.
While the law recognises acid attack survivors who have been disfigured or lost eyesight or limbs, those women who have ingested acid are not covered under the compensation and rehabilitation policies created for survivors of acid attacks under the Persons with Disabilities Act.
The Persons with Disabilities act currently recognises individuals “disfigured due to violent assaults by the throwing of acid".
The PIL has sought court orders to fill the "critical legislative gap that prevents survivors of forceful acid ingestion from being recognised under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 (RPwD Act).
"These individuals suffer from severe and lasting internal injuries that significantly impair their ability to perform basic life functions like eating, swallowing, and speaking; yet they are, under the existing set of laws, unable to access the statutory support systems available to other acid attack survivors," says the PIL filed through advocates Sija Nair and Anuj Kapoor.
On Thursday, while hearing the PIL, the bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi also expressed shock at the fact that trials in acid attack cases often take a long time.
Shaheen Malik, who is the PIL petitioner, was herself a victim of an acid attack in 2009, and now runs the NGO Brave Souls Foundation, which extends help to acid attack survivors.
Shaheen was attacked with acid by a stalker in 2009. The case in her case was finally shifted to Delhi in 2013, but the trial still remains pending.
Appearing before the Supreme Court on Thursday, Shaheen highlighted the suffering of acid attack survivors who have had to deal with a sluggish legal system while battling severe health issues and damage.
Shocked at the delay in trial and the difficulty faced by the survivors, the CJI called for a response from the Centre within one week. The top court has also sought data from all High Courts about pending acid attack trials and why these cases are not before the Fast Track Courts.
"If the national capital of this country cannot respond to these challenges, then who will do it? This is a mockery of the system," CJI Surya Kant said on December 4.
Speaking exclusively to India Today at her office, Shaheen pointed out the grave lapses in implementation that continue to allow hundreds of women to be survivors of acid attacks.
"Acid sale was banned on court orders, but you can get it anywhere. There are protocols that acid attack survivors must get immediate free treatment in all hospitals, but often the private hospitals drive them away saying they can't treat them. Even at government hospitals there is a long wait for treatment. These women need multiple surgeries and repeat treatment over several years, but the compensation has taken 3–10 years to be released. The rules are there that you have to give compensation and free medical treatment, but even the prosecutors tell these women to compromise the case, take some money and close the case," says Shaheen.
In a recent case, Shaheen told India Today, the woman who was subjected to domestic abuse and had been force-fed acid by her husband, finally agreed to compromise and live with the same husband, since she has a small child and does not have the money to take care of the child and herself.
“These are cases where the family or prosecutors pressure the survivors to turn hostile and withdraw the complaint against the husband. Since she cannot do anything on her own due to extensive burns, she has no choice but to go back to the husband because atleast he will take care of the child," says Shaheen.
The petition in the Supreme court has now pointed out that the survivors who have been forcefully administered acid are unable to obtain a medical certificate that quantifies their disability.
"Without this document, they are ineligible for various benefits and entitlements under various rehabilitation and support schemes offered by different states that are available to other acid attack survivors. This lack of recognition prevents them from accessing crucial medical care, financial assistance, and social support, further hindering their recovery".
I really do believe India has the worlds highest homicide rate
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