Death penalty for Priti Rathi murder convict

A special women’s court in Mumbai on Thursday awarded death penalty to Ankur Panwar (26) for killing 23-year-old Priti Rathi by hurling acid at her. The court held that Panwar should be given the death penalty in order to deter criminals and like-minded persons from committing such a crime. However, Panwar showed no signs of remorse for his act and left the court premises flashing a victory sign.

While awarding the death sentence special judge Anju Shende observed that acid attack is worse than rape. She further said that although rape destroys the very soul of the survivor, she could be kept at a safe place, given a new identity and rehabilitated. However, in case of an acid attack, the victim has to move around with their (defaced) bodies, the judge said.

Judge Shende also opined that Priti could survive for 30 days as she had become blind and didn’t know how she looked. She had no idea of the impact of the acid attack on her face.

The judge also awarded Panwar five years of imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 5,000 after finding him guilty under Section 326 B (Voluntarily throwing acid) of the Indian Penal Code. The recovered fine will be given to the victim’s family.

The judge, however, suspended Panwar’s death sentence till it is confirmed by the high court.