New Delhi: After a gruelling 15-year legal and bureaucratic battle, Saleema (name changed), a resident of north Delhi and survivor of a brutal acid attack orchestrated by her husband, was finally given an additional Rs 5 lakh 21 January taking her total compensation awarded by the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) to Rs 8 lakh.
Saleema told ThePrint: “After so many years, I had almost given up hope that I would ever receive this compensation. Now that it has finally come, I feel that some of my life’s struggles will ease a little.”
DLSA, constituted by the Delhi State Legal Services Authority (DSLSA) work under the Provision of Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987 aims at providing “free legal service to the weaker sections of society to ensure opportunities for securing justice are not denied to any citizen by reason of economic or other disabilities”.
On 24 June 2010, when Saleema was visiting a friend after separating from her husband, who had threatened to “ruin her face”, he arrived uninvited at her friend’s house and began assaulting and abusing Saleema. When her friend tried to intervene and stop him from hurting Saleema, he pulled out a bottle from his pocket, stating that it was alcohol, and immediately threw it at Saleema and her friend.
The attack left Saleema, whose daughter was 7-years-old then, with burns over 25 per cent of her body, including half her scalp and face, chest and both arms. Over the next 15 years, while she underwent multiple reconstructive surgeries to repair the extensive damage, the sessions court convicted her husband and sentenced him to 10 years imprisonment.
“Saleema comes from an economically weaker background, struggling extensively to pay her medical bills and cover her expenses. The attack took away her independence and mobility for a long time. She suffered physically, mentally and financially without any help or support in sight,” said Shaheen Malik, an acid attack survivor herself and founder of Brave Souls Foundation in New Delhi’s Jangpura.
In 2012, Saleema received an interim compensation of Rs 3 lakh from the DLSA.
Unhappy with the amount, Saleema moved Delhi’s high court via a writ petition in 2017. But after years of hearings getting deferred, in 2023 Saleema withdrew her writ petition and approached the DSLSA. The court, while reserving her right to approach the court again if aggrieved, allowed her to withdraw the petition.
For nearly a decade, she made numerous representations before the DSLSA, which has now finally granted her the additional Rs 5 lakh.
“Over the struggle of 15 years, after running from pillar to post, DLSA assumed that Rs 8 lakh would be suitable for her rehabilitation and reformation, while her medical expenses were higher than Rs 10 Lakh,” said Shaheen Malik.
“This is not a big win in my opinion (but definitely marks a) period of relief for her and her daughter, although briefly, and would give her the courage not to give up,” Shaheen Malik added.
“This compensation (that) has been due to Saleema for 15 years. The unsatisfactory work ethic and lack of prompt resolution of affairs in government offices prolongs the sufferings of survivors and forces them to struggle continuously for their well-deserved and needful compensation,” she added.
Saleema has spent nearly Rs 8 to 10 lakhs on her surgeries and medicines; and in the future, she will need an estimated Rs 15 lakh just for her continuing medicines and treatment. She also supports her daughter, who is now 21, as her husband doesn’t contribute to their daughter’s upkeep. After being released from jail, he visited Saleema and their daughter once and has rarely contacted them since.
The Brave Souls Foundation is now assisting Saleema with a pending writ petition before the Delhi HC for further compensation under the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) which “assists partially to defray the expenses for medical treatment” of cases including acid attacks. Saleema hopes to get another Rs 1 lakh from the PMNRF.
Advocate Madiah Shahjar who works with Brave Souls Foundation and represents the survivors explained how “member secretaries of the District Legal Services Authority determine compensation amount under the National Legal Services Authority Compensation Scheme for Women Victims/Survivors of Sexual Assault and Other Crimes, 2018”.
On Saleema’s compensation, she said “The compensation awarded is delayed and grossly inadequate. An amount of Rs 5 lakh cannot compensate a survivor who has already spent nearly Rs 10 lakh on surgeries, lost all means of employment, and continues to endure lifelong physical disfigurement and psychological trauma.”
“The impact does not stop with the survivor. Her family’s life has been destabilised, and her young daughter’s education has been discontinued due to financial and emotional challenges, especially when the attacker is her father. Acid attack is not a one day offence; it is a lifetime assault on dignity and livelihood,” she added.
Saleema is currently making ends meet by sewing clothes, barely managing to provide for her daughter.
Thanking Shaheen Malik and her NGO Brave Souls Foundation, Saleema hopes that other survivors receive the same support she has.
ThePrint has reached out to the DSLSA for a comment. This report will be updated if and when a reply is received.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
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