Supreme Court Upholds Conviction in Acid Attack Case, Reduces Sentence of Aged Accused on Health Grounds
The case started with a horrific acid attack on a Mathural, Uttar Pradesh, woman on June 8, 2014. Three accused—Hakim (accused number one), Umesh (accused number two), and Gyani (accused number three)—intercepted the victim returning home from a temple visit near a railway crossing. Driven by retribution over an earlier grievance, the three carried out a premeditated attack. Umesh threw acid on the victim while Hakim and Gyani held her, resulting in extreme damage including 90% loss of eyesight in one eye and permanent facial disfiguredness.