Alld HC summons top UP officials over policy for acid attack survivors

Prayagraj: The Allahabad high court has summoned the principal secretaries of the state’s home and women and child welfare departments to appear on May 25 with a concrete policy framework for compensation, rehabilitation, and long-term support of acid attack survivors.

The order came after the court noted that the state had failed to set up a comprehensive support system even nine years after a survivor’s life-altering attack.

The court further sought a proposed mechanism for medical treatment, reconstructive surgeries, counselling, education and employment assistance of survivors.

A bench comprising Justices Saral Srivastava and Garima Prashad issued the summons during a hearing for a plea filed by an acid attack survivor seeking state-backed rehabilitation.

The court, in its order dated May 14, criticized the Uttar Pradesh govt’s reliance on one-time financial handouts, emphasizing that a victim’s recovery requires lifetime structural support rather than sporadic, minor payments and asked the govt to apprise it of the manner in which compensation amounts are proposed to be rationalised, keeping in view the nature and extent of injuries and lifelong consequences suffered by the survivors.

The court observed, “Despite repeated opportunities granted by this court and specific queries raised in earlier orders, no satisfactory explanation has been furnished as to why a comprehensive policy for acid attack survivors has not yet been framed by the state govt. The material placed before us does not disclose any concrete endeavour undertaken at the highest administrative level to address the issue in a time-bound and effective manner.”

“In the aforesaid circumstances, we are of the considered opinion that the matter requires direct deliberation with the senior-most authorities of the departments concerned so that the impediments, if any, in the formulation of an effective policy may be identified and appropriate measures may be evolved without any further delay,” the bench said.