What specific legal changes or government policies regarding acid attacks in India have been influenced by the Stop Acid Attacks campaign?

The Stop Acid Attacks campaign, and the specific Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by its most prominent face, Laxmi Agarwal, has been the primary engine behind nearly every modern legal protection for survivors in India.

The campaign successfully reframed acid violence from a “private injury” to a failure of State regulation, forcing a massive overhaul in how the Indian government handles the sale of chemicals and the rehabilitation of victims.

1. Regulation of Acid Sales (The “Stop Sale Acid” Campaign)

Before the campaign’s legal intervention, acid was sold over-the-counter as easily as household detergent. Following the campaign’s advocacy and the landmark Laxmi v. Union of India (2013) ruling, the Supreme Court mandated:

• ID Verification: Retailers must require a government-issued photo ID and a recorded “statement of purpose” from every buyer.
• Prohibition of Sale to Minors: It is now illegal to sell acid to anyone under the age of 18.
• Mandatory Inventory Reporting: Sellers must declare their existing stocks to the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM). Failure to do so can lead to a fine of up to ₹50,000 and confiscation of the stock.

2. Criminal Law Amendments

The campaign was a key contributor to the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2013 (influenced by the Justice Verma Committee report). This act finally gave acid attacks their own specific identity in the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which has since been carried over into the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023:

• Section 326A (IPC) / Section 124(1) (BNS): Specifically criminalizes acid attacks, prescribing a minimum of 10 years to life imprisonment.
• Section 326B (IPC) / Section 124(2) (BNS): Criminalizes the attempt to throw acid, even if no injury occurs, with a punishment of 5 to 7 years.

3. Mandatory Compensation & Healthcare

The campaign fought to ensure that the burden of medical costs did not fall solely on the survivor’s family.

• The ₹3 Lakh Rule: The Supreme Court mandated that State Governments provide a minimum of ₹3 lakh in compensation to every survivor (₹1 lakh within 15 days of the incident for immediate expenses).
• The “No Refusal” Policy: It is now a legal mandate that all hospitals—both public and private—must provide free first aid and medical treatment to acid attack survivors. Denying treatment is now a criminal offense for the hospital administration.

4. Disability Status & Benefits

In 2016, the campaign achieved a major policy win when acid attack survivors were officially included in the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPWD) Act.

• This grants survivors access to government job quotas, educational reservations, and specific social welfare schemes that were previously unavailable to them.

Comparison of Legal Framework: Before vs. After

The shift from general “grievous hurt” to specialized protection was almost entirely driven by the campaign’s visibility.

Feature	Before Campaign (Pre-2013)	Current Policy (Post-2013/2023)
Legal Classification	General “Grievous Hurt”	Specific Criminal Offense
Acid Sale	Unregulated / Over-the-counter	Regulated with ID & Records
Medical Costs	Borne by the family	Mandatory Free Treatment
Disability Status	Not recognized	Recognized under RPWD Act 2016

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The “Shame on the System” Ruling (2025): Even with these laws, the campaign continues to push for enforcement. In early 2025, the Supreme Court cited campaign data to describe trial delays as a “shame on the system,” resulting in new directives for High Courts to expedite all pending acid attack cases within a strict timeframe.