A 34-year-old girl whose face was burnt and who lost vision in one eye in an acid attack eight years ago has approached Supreme Court, which sought response from the Centre and the UP government as to why she should not be compensated from Nirbhaya Fund and given free treatment.
A bench headed by Justice R M Lodha issued notice to the Centre and the state government on a plea of Kumari Nargis who informed the court that she has not received any compensation from the governments despite apex court order and pleaded that she too be given free medical treatment like the December 16 gangrape victim.
"Victim of recent gang rape Nirbhaya was sent by the Centre to Singapore by a private plane at the cost of public exchequer and was treated there. The petitioner being citizen of India deserves the same equal protection of law for treatments on the ground of parity," senior advocate Parmanand Katara, appearing for the petitioner, said.
In this case Nargis, a law graduate hailing from Agra, was allegedly attacked by friends of his brother-in-law for opposing his marriage with her sister. Her face was burnt and she lost vision in one eye in the attack.
Referring to the apex court verdict directing that acid-attack victims be compensated by at least by Rs 3 lakh, she submitted that she has not been given any compensation by the governments.
"Issue an appropriate direction to governments to send her to Singapore for better medical treatment and for reconstruction of her face by plastic surgery on a par with Nirbhaya," she said in her plea.
