NEW DELHI: In a significant development, the Central government on Tuesday informed the Supreme Court that it has notified an amendment extending the benefits of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016 to acid attack survivors who suffer internal injuries, even in the absence of external disfigurement.
A Bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana recorded the Centre's submission and posted the matter for further hearing after two weeks.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, told the court that the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment's Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities had issued a notification on May 22, 2026, amending the Schedule to the 2016 Act.
The amendment clarifies that the term "acid attack victims" will now include persons who have sustained internal injuries, irrespective of whether there is any external disfigurement.
On May 4 this year, the apex court directed that the 2016 Act must cover such survivors. It had said that until a formal amendment was notified, the term "acid attack victims" would be read to include those with internal injuries.
In its May 4 order, the court had said that the clarificatory interpretation would be deemed to have been incorporated at Serial No. 1A(e) of the Schedule from the inception of the 2016 Act. It also directed the Union government to notify the necessary amendment.
Recording the compliance on Tuesday, the Bench said, "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 court was hearing a PIL filed by acid attack survivor Shaheen Malik. Her 2009 criminal case highlighted systemic gaps, including delays in trial, lapses in investigation, inadequate rehabilitation and poor enforcement of safeguards.
Over the course of the hearings, the matter expanded into a broader review of the country's response to acid attacks, including the speed of trials.
In January, the court flagged the need for stricter punishment in such cases. In May, it orally suggested that perpetrators of acid attacks be deprived of their assets and that shopkeepers found selling acid illegally should face legal action.