Attacker of Karaikal acid victim Vinodini gets life term

A division bench comprising Justice S Nagamuthu and Justice V Bharathidasan while confirming the life sentence of an accused who threw acid on a techie Vinodini in 2012 in Karaikal leading to her death after 90 days in bed, said: “In order to check recurrence of these heinous crimes, the police and other authorities should act with an iron hand to bring to book the culprits, to have speedy trials and to get deterrent punishment”.

The bench also held, “We are aware that there are criticisms about the deterrent theory of punishment. But that will not deter our belief that the story of ‘Vinodini’ shall be at least a lesson and deterrence for those who may have a semblance of feeling to commit such gruesome acts against womenfolk. After all our tradition glorifies our women as goddesses.” 

As per the case, Vinodini of Karaikal after celebrating Deepvalli at home was on her way to bus stand with her dad and a family friend on November 11, 2012, when the accused who nurtured a one-sided love threw acid on her. She lost her eyesight but her valiant battle for life lasted for 90 days till her death on February 12, 2013. The accused Suresh Kumar was nabbed subsequently based on the details provided by Vinodini’s father and family friend who also sustained injuries in the acid attack. 

The additional sessions court sentenced him to life and pay a fine of Rs one lakh to the victim’s father as compensation. The division bench on upholding the sentence and the fine also directed an additional compensation of Rs 3 lakh to the victim’s family under the Union Territory of Puducherry Victim Assistance Scheme within three months. 

However, the division bench recorded the aspect that the trial court ought to have examined the question of sentence elaborately to find out whether the offence committed by the accused would fall within the rarest of rare cases so as to impose capital punishment on the accused. Pointing out that since neither the trial court has made any such exercise nor the Puducherry Government has made any appeal challenging the quantum of punishment, “we are unable to go into the question as to whether imposing death penalty on the accused would be the only appropriate sentence for the accused and also to examine whether the life sentence would be inadequate.”

The Madras High Court has reserved orders on a petition from S Nalini, serving life sentence for her involvement in Rajiv Gandhi assassination, seeking premature release. Justice M Sathyanarayana on pursuing the counter filed by the Tamil Nadu Government, reserved order to another date. It may be noted that the Tamil Nadu government had urged the court to dismiss the petition since her release together with six others involved in the case was the subject matter of challenge before the Supreme Court.