Rickshaw driver who threw acid on woman gets 10 years in jail

Ahmedabad: A city sessions court on Wednesday sentenced an autorickshaw driver to 10 years' imprisonment for throwing acid on a 39-year-old woman after she spurned his advances. According to the prosecution's case, auto driver Sanjay alias Shivabhai Nayak threw acid on the victim in March 2022 after she turned down his demands for physical intimacy. She suffered injuries to her face, neck, chest and hands and was hospitalised. Nayak was arrested and put behind bars for assault, criminal intimidation and acid attack. During the trial, assistant public prosecutor Bhavesh Patel examined 20 witnesses and presented 19 documents to establish Nayak's guilt. Additional sessions judge B K Avashia punished the accused with 10 years' imprisonment. The order said, "In our society, the incidents of acid attacks are continuously increasing. When heinous crimes are met with lenient sentences after being proven, the criminal justice system fails to serve its purpose. Acid attacks have become a form of gender-based violence, causing significant psychological trauma and hindering the development of the victims." The court also imposed a fine of Rs 35,000 on the convict. Of this amount, Rs 30,000 will be paid to the victim. However, the court has also directed the authorities to pay compensation to the woman under the Victim Compensation Scheme. The court said, "Whenever the victim sees her face or body in the mirror, she will remember this heinous act committed against her. Each time, she will have to endure the physical and mental torture inflicted by the accused. Such an attack completely deprives the victim of the fundamental right to live a dignified human life."

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