ISLAMABAD – The Supreme Court has rejected a plea for leniency based on age in the acid attack case of convict Abdul Mannan and upheld his life imprisonment sentence. The court also issued landmark directions calling for speedy trials and stronger legal protections in acid violence cases.
According to report, a three-member bench headed by Justice Hashim Kakar, along with Justice Salahuddin Panhwar and Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim, heard the case. The 13-page detailed judgment was authored by Justice Hashim Khan Kakar.
The court dismissed the petition of Abdul Mannan, who had attacked a woman, Iqra Parveen, in Faisalabad with acid, and maintained his life imprisonment conviction. It also ordered the convict to pay Rs1 million compensation to the victim.
The Supreme Court observed that in brutal and premeditated crimes, the shield of minor age cannot be used. It declared that an acid attack is a crime more horrific than murder, as murder ends a life once, while acid victims suffer lifelong physical and psychological trauma, effectively becoming “living corpses.”
In its judgment, the court directed High Courts to ensure that trials of acid attack cases are completed within four months without exception. It also ordered a complete ban on the open sale of acid to the public and called for a biometric and digital monitoring system for its sale and purchase.
The court further instructed the government to establish a “National Acid Survivors’ Rehabilitation Fund”, provide disability certificates to permanently affected victims, and introduce quotas in government jobs for survivors. It stressed that High Courts must personally monitor such cases to ensure timely justice.
The judgment added that all expenses for plastic surgery and psychological treatment of victims should be borne by the state. It recommended monthly stipends for those rendered permanently disabled or unemployed due to acid attacks, along with special quotas in education and welfare schemes.
The court also directed the creation of a centralized digital system to regulate acid trade, requiring buyers to provide identity cards and biometric verification. It emphasized psychological and social rehabilitation programs to address the “social death” faced by victims.
The Registrar was instructed to circulate copies of the judgment to all High Courts, the Law Secretary, the Law and Justice Committee Chairman, provincial law departments, the Attorney General, and all provincial Advocate Generals.
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