Srinagar Court Sentences Two To Life Imprisonment In Nowshera Acid Attack Case

In the case of State through Police Station v. Irshad Amin Wani @Sunny and Others, a Srinagar court delivered life imprisonment sentences to Irshad Ahmad Wani @Sunny and Mohammad Umar Noor for their involvement in an acid attack on a law student in Nowshera during 2014. Additionally, each convict was fined ₹5 lakh by Principal Sessions Judge Jawad Ahmed. 

The court's decision emphasized the premeditated and coordinated nature of the attack, rather than it being a spontaneous event. It further highlighted the physical and psychological trauma inflicted on the victim, evident from the victim's photographs before and after the incident.

The court stated, "Her photographs after the incident but, before repairs by skin grafting, reveal that the impact of the corrosive substance was such that the bones of her head, nose, around the right eye and part of her right face had got exposed. Despite 28 surgeries she has undergone, as of date, the damage has not got repaired nor there are chances of its full repair ... No one can imagine the plight of the poor parents of the victim, every day they have to look at the mangled face of their only daughter. They have also to live their life with this emotional trauma."

The court firmly concluded that the convicts should not be shown leniency and that life imprisonment was the appropriate punishment. The court also recommended that the victim receive the maximum compensation available under the Jammu & Kashmir Victim Compensation Scheme, 2019, with the case referred to the Jammu & Kashmir Legal Services Authority.

The two accused were previously convicted on August 17 under various sections of the Ranbir Penal Code, including Section 326-A (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by use of acid), Section 120-B (punishment for criminal conspiracy), and Section 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offense).

The acid attack occurred on December 11, 2014, following a period of stalking by Irshad towards the law student. When she rejected his advances, Irshad conspired with his friend Mohammad Umar to carry out the acid attack, as established by the investigation.

Author: Anushka Taraniya

News writer, MIT ADT UNIVERSITY