Disability law now covers victims forced to ingest acid, Centre tells SC

The Centre on Tuesday informed the Supreme Court that it has amended the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, to bring within its ambit acid attack victims who suffer internal injuries after being forcibly made to ingest acid, even if they have no external disfigurement.

A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana was informed by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta that the government had issued a notification on 22 May clarifying the scope of the term "acid attack victims" under the law.

Mehta, appearing for the Centre, said internal injuries caused by acid ingestion would now be covered under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act.

The court was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by acid attack survivor Shaheen Malik, who had sought legal recognition and welfare benefits for victims forcibly made to consume acid or left with internal injuries without visible external disfigurement.

The petition sought their categorisation as persons with disabilities, enabling them to access welfare schemes and benefits available under the 2016 law.

"The Union of India has issued a notification dated May 22, 2026, through the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, amending the Schedule to the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016," Mehta told the court.

The Supreme Court had earlier directed the Centre to formally notify the necessary change.

The bench said the amendment was clarificatory in nature and would therefore be treated as having existed from the date the RPwD Act came into force.

"Since the aforesaid amendment is clarificatory in nature, it shall be deemed to have been in existence with effect from the date on which the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, came into force. The necessary consequences shall follow," the bench said.

The development comes after the Supreme Court in May expressed serious concern over what it described as an "alarming increase" in "barbaric" acid attacks since 2013.

During a hearing on 4 May, the bench had suggested that the Centre consider enhancing punishment for acid attack offences.

The court had also raised the possibility of shifting the burden onto the accused to establish their innocence in such cases and suggested attaching the assets of convicted offenders to compensate survivors.

Highlighting the need for tighter regulation, the bench had also called for greater control over the sale of acid in the market.

The Supreme Court had further directed all high courts to prescribe timelines for trial courts to ensure the expeditious conclusion of acid attack cases.

The latest amendment expands the legal definition of acid attack victims under the disability law, ensuring that survivors with severe internal injuries are not excluded from statutory benefits solely because they do not have visible external disfigurement.