Kathmandu, September 25
The government has drafted a new law proposing stricter punishments for acid attackers.
A cabinet meeting on Thursday endorsed the draft.
As the incidents of acid attacks are on the rise, stakeholders have been lamenting the lack of a dedicated law to address this problem. However, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli had directed concerned officials to draft a law to address the concerns. Since the Federal Parliament has been prorogued now, the government has planned to issue an ordinance to implement new provisions.
The draft has proposed five to 20 years of imprisonment for a person convicted of acid attack. However, if the victim dies, the convict will be jailed for life.
If the attack damages major organs including eyes, ears, mouth, chest and genitals, the convict will be jailed for 10 to 20 years. Damages in other organs will result in a sentence of five to 10 years.
Likewise, even if a drop of acid does not touch the intended victim’s body, the incident will be considered an attempted attack and the convict will be jailed for up to 10 years.
The law proposes acid attack convicts could not be released on bail or given any amnesty.
Likewise, the trade of acid will be regulated.
Until now, the government has been applying the 2018 Criminal Code to such cases, according to which the attackers will be fined from Rs 50,000 to Rs 500,000 and will be imprisoned from three to eight years.
