Supreme Court of India expressed shock and outrage with the decision of Hyderabad High Court for AP and Telangana state over a acid attack.Taking a serious view the Supreme Court awarded Rs 3.50 lakh compensation to an acid victim in Vizianagaram in Andhra Pradesh and sentenced accused Gorripotu Eswara Rao of one year imprisonment.
Earlier Hyderabad High Court let off the accused with just one month's imprisonment and Rs 6000 fijne for the offence he committed in May 2003.
A bench of justices Dipak Misra and R. Banumathi in their judgement directed the Andhra Pradesh government to pay Rs 3 lakh to the victim Ravada Sasikala in three months and Rs 50,000 to be paid by the accused in six months.
They pulled the High Court for the leniency showed to the accused and said the case at hand is an example of uncivilised and heartless crime committed by respondent Eswara Rao.
Justices Dipak Misra and R. Banumathi said, “It is completely unacceptable that concept of leniency can be conceived of in such a crime. A crime of this nature does not deserve any kind of clemency. It is individually as well as collectively intolerable."
Judges in their strong order set aside the High Court verdict and restoring the sentence of the trail court said “The approach of the High Court shocks us and we have no hesitation in saying so. When there is medical evidence that there was an acid attack on the young girl and the circumstances having brought home by cogent evidence and the conviction is given the stamp of approval, there was no justification to reduce the sentence to the period of 30 days already undergone.”
