Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir police have completed their investigation in the acid attack on a woman in downtown city, officials said here Tuesday. Police have filed two separate charge sheets against three accused, including a juvenile. Two of the accused, identified as Sajid Altaf Rather and Mohammad Saleem Kumar alias Tota, were produced before Chief Judicial Magistrate here as the police submitted a 1,000-page charge sheet against them. The court committed it to the Principal Sessions Court and the hearing will begin from March 8.
A similar charge sheet was filed against the minor before the Juvenile Justice Board with an additional application that he be treated as an adult under the amended Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act. It means youngsters in the age group of 16-18 can be tried under Indian Penal Code (IPC) if they are accused of heinous crimes.
The juvenile accused is 17 years old in this case and was riding pillion on a scooty when Rather allegedly threw acid on the face of the woman in downtown Srinagar.
The officials said the two accused and the juvenile were charged under sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and 326-A (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by use of acid) of the IPC.
“We have filed a water-tight charge sheet. We will make a plea to the court for a daily hearing of this case. If a daily hearing is not possible, we would request the honourable court for a speedy trial,” Senior Superintendent of Police (Srinagar) Rakesh Balwal said.
Balwal informed they have applied to the Juvenile Board to treat the minor as an adult according to Section 15 of the amended Juvenile act.
The charge sheets were filed within three weeks of the incident to ensure swift and exemplary punishment to the accused and to deter those who may be having such ‘barbaric’ tendencies, officials said.
“’The maximum punishment under these sections is life and the minimum is 10 years. However, we will press for maximum so that it acts as a deterrent,” Balwal said. He said a dedicated inspector rank officer has been appointed for liasoning with the prosecution team to secure a fast conviction in this case.
“I am glad that the charge sheet has been presented. I will be contesting against the accused in the court of law and ensure speedy justice for the victim,” advocate Mir Naveed Gul, representing the woman’s family, said.
A man accompanied by a juvenile allegedly threw acid February 1 on the 24-year-old woman after she rejected his marriage proposal. The incident shook entire Srinagar and drew widespread condemnation from across society.
After initial treatment here, the victim was sent to a Chennai eye hospital for specialised treatment.
Earlier, Inspector General of Police (Kashmir) Vijay Kumar had said that the investigation is nearly complete. They would soon conclude the process by filing a charge sheet in this case. He had appealed to girls and their parents to inform the police at an early stage if any miscreant is stalking or harassing them so that action can be taken.
