High court directs aid to acid attack victim

Source:- telegraphindia.com

Guwahati, Feb. 25: Gauhati High Court has asked Kamrup (metro) district legal service authority to pay Rs 1 lakh to Nishamoni Borah, an acid attack victim, after she and North East Network (NEN), an NGO here, moved the court recently seeking compensation and speedy disposal of the case.

The high court issued the order during a hearing on Friday to give her the money within a week and asked the Assam government and other respondents to treat the case on a priority basis.

“The district legal service authority had provided me Rs 2 lakh after the incident under the victim compensation fund but I have already spent nearly Rs 5 lakh for surgery in Hyderabad and other treatment. Since I have not been able to resume work since the incident and am in need of money for further treatment, I decided to move court. I moved chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal seeking financial assistance and speedy disposal of the case but since nothing has happened to my request, I decided to move the high court,” Nishamoni, told The Telegraph today.

Nishamoni, a young lawyer, lost sight in her right eye after an unidentified person threw acid on her on March 19 last year. Nishamoni was returning from her chamber here at Bharalumukh around 6.30pm, when the attack took place, scalding her eyes, face and neck. She was given Rs 2 lakh after she, NEN and the Assam State Commission for Women moved the district legal service authority for financial assistance.

She had named Diwakar Baishya Sahu, a former colleague who used to practise law with her in 2015, as a suspect as he used to disturb her after she spurned him. Sahu was arrested but granted bail by a court as the police is yet to submit a chargesheet of the case.

Sri Sankaradeva Nethralaya, an eye care hospital based here, has been offering her free treatment but she had to perform an operation in Hyderabad on February 8. “The surgery was conducted for reconstruction of the eye but doctors told me I would have to wait for sight in the right eye damaged in the attack. I am in need of more money as I have not yet been able to resume work,” she said.

The writ petition was filed in the high court on February 15 and Supreme Court lawyer Vrinda Grover appeared on behalf of Nishamoni and NEN. The high court issued a notice to the state chief secretary, social welfare department, health and family welfare, home and political, finance, district/state legal services authority, Bharalumukh police station and women’s police stations to act on the appeal made by the petitioners.

Anurita Hazarika, programme manager of NEN, today said their petition sought a directive to the state government to ensure that private hospitals follow the Supreme Court’s orders by providing free treatment to acid attack survivors, a functional women’s helpline to respond to women’s emergencies, besides other measures to check rising crime against women.