Sixteen years after a brutal acid attack in Panipat permanently altered her life, social activist Shaheen Malik has expressed profound devastation following the acquittal of three primary accused by a Delhi court on Wednesday.
Malik, who was 26 when the 2009 attack occurred, has spent over a decade navigating a sluggish legal system that the Supreme Court recently termed a national shame.
Despite her resilience and the founding of an NGO to support other survivors, the Rohini Court dismissed the charges due to a lack of sufficient evidence linking the accused to the conspiracy.
This verdict has reignited intense debate regarding the protection of survivors and the urgent need for judicial reform in handling heinous gender based crimes.
Panipat Acid Attack Case
The incident dates back to 2009 in Panipat, Haryana, where Malik was a promising MBA student working as a counsellor. Driven by alleged professional jealousy, the attackers doused her in acid, leading to total vision loss in one eye and the need for over 25 reconstructive surgeries.
For years, the case languished in Haryana until it was transferred to Delhi in 2014. Throughout this period, Malik transitioned from a victim to a powerful advocate, establishing the Brave Souls Foundation in 2021 to provide medical and legal aid to others.
However, the sheer duration of the trial has highlighted the systemic hurdles that prevent victims from achieving timely closure.
Delhi Court Order
In delivering the verdict, Additional Sessions Judge Jagmohan Singh of the Rohini Court noted that the prosecution failed to prove the roles of the accused beyond a reasonable doubt.
The court cited a lack of “substantial evidence” and serious gaps in the investigation, which led to the acquittal of Yashvinder Malik, Mandeep Mann, and Bala.
While the judge reportedly expressed sympathy for the survivor’s long struggle and the brutality she endured, the judgement emphasised that legal conviction must be based on concrete material rather than sentiment.
Notably, the court also ordered an inquiry into the original investigating officer’s role, highlighting the faulty and incomplete nature of the initial probe that effectively weakened the case over sixteen years.
Shaheen Malik’s Reaction
Shaheen Malik expressed deep disillusionment following the verdict, stating that the justice system she trusted for sixteen years has ultimately failed her. She remarked that she feels broken not by the acid that burned her, but by the legal outcome.
“I fought this case for 16 years believing that truth and persistence would matter,” Hindustan Times quoted Malik. “Today I feel defeated, not because I survived an acid attack, but because the system could not deliver justice.”
Malik questioned the long wait, asking why the system took nearly two decades if this was the end result. Despite the acquittal, she remains resolute in her fight for others, asserting that her struggle for dignity and accountability for all survivors will continue in higher courts.
Judicial Criticism
Prior to the acquittal, the Supreme Court had taken a stern view of the sixteen year delay, with Chief Justice Surya Kant describing the pendency as a mockery of the legal system.
The Solicitor General, Tushar Mehta, also advocated for ruthless prosecution of such perpetrators, suggesting they be treated with the same severity they showed their victims. Despite these high level observations, the Rohini Court concluded that the prosecution failed to prove the conspiracy beyond a reasonable doubt.
The three main accused were subsequently acquitted, leaving Malik feeling broken not by the physical violence she survived, but by the very system she trusted to protect her rights for sixteen years.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
The acquittal in Shaheen Malik’s case is a sobering reminder of how justice delayed often becomes justice denied. When a survivor fights for nearly two decades only to see the legal process crumble, it shatters the confidence of thousands who look toward the law for protection.
We believe that true harmony and peace in society can only be achieved when there is accountability for such barbaric acts. It is time for the judiciary and the police to move beyond oral sympathies and implement fast track reforms that ensure no other survivor is forced to wait half a lifetime for a verdict.
