Acid attack convict gets death sentence

Until this point, acid attacks were not categorised as the rarest of rare cases that justified capital punishment.

On Tuesday, Panwar was convicted under Sections 302 (murder) and 326 B (Voluntarily throwing acid) of the IPC.

Preeti Rathi was a young and ambitious girl who was shortlisted for a nursing internship with Indian Navy.

Meanwhile, the district legal services authority has asked the Maharashtra government to pay a compensation of Rs two lakh to Rathi’s parents, besides another Rs 2000 for the expenses of her funeral.

The crime took place outside a Mumbai railway station in May 2013.

In 2013, Rathi, a Delhi resident, had come to the city to join the Colaba Naval Hospital “INS Ashwini” as a staff nurse. “Out of jealousy, he attacked her with acid, which he purchased from Delhi and followed her to Mumbai”, Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam said.

The strong words appeared to have little impact on 23-yearold Preeti’s killer, Ankur Panwar, who was seen smiling after the verdict was announced.

As per the charge sheet, Panwar threw concentrated sulfuric acid at Preeti as he envied her career growth.

It is the first such sentence for an acid attack in India.

Panwar did not commit the crime on the spur of the moment but it was a pre-planned attack, said the prosecutor. His family maintained his innocence and said that Panwar was framed by police officials. The prosecution examined 37 witnesses, including five eyewitnesses and 11 doctors. Pankaj Malve an agent from Bandra terminus saw hi stepping out of the train.

He had wanted to disfigure her face to destroy her career. “I want a CBI inquiry into the case”, she said.

She succumbed to multiple organ failure on account of the severe acid burns on June 1 that year. When her condition worsened, she was moved to Bombay Hospital.

The acid affected her lungs.

May 31, 2013: Preeti’s kidney stops functioning.

Rathi died a month later. “We will file an appeal in the high court”.

He was nabbed on January 17, 2014, by the Mumbai Crime Branch from his New Delhi home after discarding all other suspects. On Wednesday, the court would hear arguments on the quantum of sentence, before announcing the verdict.

Nikam told the court, “This is a fit case for death penalty where the manner in which the offence was committed and the exceptional cruel attitude of the accused are aggravating circumstances”, according to the Indian Express.