Acid Attacks in India. Should Strict Liability be the norm?

Research Paper (postgraduate) from the year 2014 in the subject Law - Criminal process, Criminology, Law Enforcement, grade: 6.30/7, , course: B.A. LL.B. (Hons.), language: English, abstract: This article deals with the Indian Criminal Law Amendment Act, 2013 which was passed as a reaction after the 2012 gang rape case that happened in Delhi and signaled that it was time to change the penal laws for the protection of women. One change included in the act was Section 326A – relating to acid attacks. This section is gender neutral in nature and this article studies the judicial history of acid attacks and of section 326A, along with providing a critical analysis of the provision in the legislation. Finally, this article shall study and conclude on the application of ‘strict liability’ on this provision and provide the author’s views on the same whether the legislation we have is adequate enough or not, or what addition should have been made by the government on the face of it from the Law Commission Report.