Supreme Court Informed: RPwD Act Now Covers Acid Ingestion Victims with Internal Injuries
The Union government informed the Supreme Court on Tuesday (July 14, 2026) of an amendment to the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act (RPwD), 2016, to expand the definition of 'acid attack victim' to include persons suffering internal injuries from ingesting acid or similar corrosive substances.
Appearing before a three-judge Bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta stated that a notification was issued on May 22, amending the Act's Schedule to define an 'acid attack victim' as anyone 'disfigured externally or internally due to violent assault, self-infliction, accident by throwing, administering, throwing or spilling of acid or similar corrosive substance'.
The amendment has retrospective effect, allowing victims with internal injuries that occurred prior to May 22, 2026, to also claim benefits under the 2016 Act.
Previously, the 2016 law only recognised victims of acid-throwing, not forcible acid ingestion. The Act remained unchanged despite the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which replaced the Indian Penal Code, already recognising both acid-throwing and administration of acid as offences punishable with 10 years to life imprisonment under Section 124 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt).
In May, the Supreme Court had used its plenary powers under Article 142 of the Constitution to include survivors of forcible administration of acid in the 'acid attack victims' category under the 2016 Act. The court intervened after senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing petitioners, argued that 'those who suffered the extreme agony of having to forcibly ingest acid' must not be left out.
In earlier hearings, the court had suggested the Centre amend penal and bail laws to punish perpetrators of such crimes, which it described as 'most ruthless, most heinous'. The government had condemned these acts as a product of 'animal instinct'. The court also recommended a comprehensive policy framework to protect survivors, who require extensive and continuous medical treatment even if they survive.
