Acid attack victim Preeti Rathi's family to approach SC seeking reversal of Bombay HC judgment, to demand death penalty for convict

In a major update in the fight to get justice for acid attack victim Preeti Rathi, souces have reported on Thursday that the family of the victim is reportedly going to approach the Supreme Court against the order of Bombay High Court which reversed the judgement of a trial court, commuting the death sentence of the convict Ankur Panwar to life imprisonment.

Source have also said that the family is reportedly waiting for the judgement copy of the Bombay HC, following which they will approach the apex court seeking death penalty.

Acid-attack Survivors Join Campaign Seeking Justice For Preeti Rathi After Bombay HC's Verdict Commuting The Convict's Death Sentence

Earlier on Wednesday, in a show of support, more acid attack survivors have joined acid attack victim Preeti Rathi's mother's campaign to get justice for her child. Talking to media, survivors from Agra's Sheroes' Hangout have spoken against the Bombay High Court's Tuesday judgment, asking for stricter laws, some suggesting solitary confinement and some suggesting death penalty.

"The judgement was passed very late and even the accused was caught only a year later. He should be given life imprisonment and family members wishing to meet him should be restricted," said a survivor.

Acid attack survivors all over the country have joined the campaign started by Roshni Devi- Preeti Rathi's mother who was on Republic TV's  'Arnab Goswami on the Debate' on Tuesday along with her son Hitesh Rathi.

Fighting against the Bombay High Court's judgement commuting the death sentence of Ankur Panwar, she has said that she would fight till Panwar is hanged, adding  that while Panwar would live his life in prison, she had already lost her daughter and husband.

Preeti Rathi Acid Attack Case: Bombay High Court Upholds Attacker's Conviction But Commutes Death Penalty

Earlier on Tuesday, the city high court upheld the conviction of a 25-year-old man in the 2013 Preeti Rathi acid attack case but commuted his death penalty to life imprisonment. A division bench of justices B P Dharmadhikari and P D Naik partly allowed the appeal filed by convict Ankur Panwar, challenging the death penalty awarded to him by a special court in 2015.

This was the first instance of the death penalty being awarded by a court in the country in a case of acid attack. The Bombay High Court commuted the death penalty to life imprisonment on finding that the case at hand could not be termed as rarest of the rare. 

Rathi, a 23-year-old nurse, who was to join the Navy hospital in Mumbai, died after an acid attack in May 2013 by her stalker Panwar. On May 2, 2013, acid was flung on Rathi when she got down from Garib Rath Express at the Bandra Railway Terminus. She was supposed to join Colaba Naval hospital INS Ashwini as a staff nurse. Having suffered severe damage to her lungs, she succumbed to the injuries on June 1 at the Bombay Hospital.