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New Delhi: The Supreme Court today expressed displeasure over the steps taken in the last seven years by the government to evolve a comprehensive, concrete and effective law to deal with growing acid attacks and ordered convening a meeting of states and UTs on the issues.
"We are not satisfied," a bench headed by Justice R M Lodha said while directing the Centre to convene in six weeks a meeting of Chief Secretaries of all states and Union Territories to hold discussion for enacting a law to regulate the sale of acids and a policy for treatment, compensation and care and rehabilitation to victims of acid attacks.
The bench said that for evolving such policy, the Secretary, Ministry of Chemical and Fertilizers, and concerned secretaries from the states would be involved in the exercise.
Not satisfied with the steps taken by the Centre to regulate the sale of acid and to curb its use for attacking women, the bench, also comprising justices J Chelameswar and Madan B Lokur, said "the policy for the treatment, after care, rehabilitation and compensation to acid attack victims should be comprehensive, concrete and effective."
"We have waited for seven years, then we can wait for another seven days so that we can pass an appropriate order," the bench said.
The bench passed the order on a PIL filed in 2006 by Delhi-based victim Laxmi who was then a minor. Her arms, face and other body parts were disfigured in an acid attack.
