A court in Delhi delivered a major setback to a survivor of a horrific acid attack, acquitting all three adult accused in the 2009 case on Wednesday. The court pointed to a severe lack of substantial evidence and critical lapses in the investigation, bringing a disappointing end to the woman's 16-year-long legal battle for justice.
The Court's Verdict and the Long Road to Trial
Additional Sessions Judge (North) Jagmohan Singh cleared Yashvinder Malik, Mandeep Mann, and Bala of all charges. They had been accused of conspiring to carry out the acid attack on the victim, who was 23 years old at the time. The court ruled that the prosecution failed to prove their roles beyond a reasonable doubt and that the evidence on record was simply insufficient for a conviction.
This acquittal comes just weeks after the Supreme Court, on December 6, expressed profound shock over the fact that the survivor had not found closure even after 16 years. The apex court had termed the inordinate delay a "mockery of the system."
A Timeline of Harassment, Attack, and Legal Hurdles
The case dates back to an acid attack in 2009 in Panipat, Haryana. The survivor had moved to the city after securing a job as a student counsellor at a college owned by one of the accused, Yashvinder Malik. She had also enrolled in an MBA programme at Punjab Technical University.
According to the prosecution's case, she faced persistent harassment, threats, and assault at her workplace, which forced her to resign. It was alleged that 11 days before her last day, Malik, along with his wife Bala, conspired with two university students—Mandeep Mann and a juvenile—to target her.
The woman filed a First Information Report (FIR) on November 20, 2009. However, in a move that stalled the case early on, the police filed an "untraced" report in March 2010. The case was only revived in 2013 after the survivor approached the Haryana government, detailing her ordeal and mounting medical expenses. Acting on her plea, Chief Judicial Magistrate Parminder Kaur reopened the matter.
A Winding Legal Journey Through Multiple Courts
In 2014, the trial was transferred to Delhi on the directions of the Supreme Court. Charges against the adult accused were framed in 2015. While the juvenile, who was found to have carried out the actual acid attack, was convicted by the Juvenile Justice Board on December 17, 2015, the adult accused faced trial for charges including aggravated sexual assault, criminal intimidation, and attempt to culpable homicide.
The legal path was far from straightforward. The Delhi High Court discharged the adult accused in 2016, but the Supreme Court restored the trial in 2017, setting the stage for the proceedings that ultimately concluded with Wednesday's acquittal.
The verdict underscores the immense challenges survivors face in seeking justice, especially when investigations are flawed and cases drag on for years, testing the endurance of the victims and the integrity of the judicial process.
