Shocking case of acid attack, area left stunned

New Delhi: Two sisters living in Zakir Nagar, Delhi are forced to live at the mercy of others. It is not that she does not know how to earn, she has a physical disability, rather she is suffering the punishment for the crimes of a madman. After 14 years of legal battle, he had hopes of justice but his hopes were dashed when the Delhi High Court upheld the acquittal of the accused. However, both the sisters have been ordered to pay Rs 5 lakh as compensation. About 14 years ago, a jug of acid was thrown on two sisters returning home in Zakir Nagar, southeast Delhi. Since then both are struggling to get the criminals punished. However, on Tuesday the High Court upheld the acquittal of the accused, which shocked them. The name of the elder sister is Samar who is now 35 years old. He said after the court’s decision, ‘We have lost not only the legal battle but also the will to live.’ Jhaveriya, a sister a year younger, said, ‘It is unfortunate that those who committed the crime are roaming free but we have been punished by being locked in a room away from friends and family. Apart from this, we have become unemployed for life. A bench of Justices Suresh Kumar Kait and Neena Bansal Krishna upheld the trial court’s decision to acquit the accused and said the prosecution has not been able to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt. “Not only the statements of the victims but also the manner in which the investigation was conducted demolishes the prosecution’s case,” the bench said in its judgement. The victim sisters say that they will seek bail in the Supreme Court against the High Court’s decision. In 2009, acid was thrown on the victims because a neighbor had proposed marriage to one of the sisters, which she rejected. On the day of the incident, the two sisters were returning home from a beauty parlor run by Jhaveria in a rickshaw when two men on a motorcycle threw acid on them. One sister claimed, ‘A few hours after we were attacked, the accused threatened us, but despite the physical pain, we flatly refused to bow down and decided to fight a legal battle against them.’ Samar, a first year MBA student, had only one dream – to find a job, get married and start a family. Samar said, ‘The acid not only ruined my face but also my dreams. In the last few years, she has undergone 26 surgeries to correct her face. Each of these surgeries has been very painful. But the mental trauma of survival is much greater than the physical trauma. Both lost their eyesight in the attack. “Every month we have to ask for financial help from relatives and friends,” Jhaveria said.