No blanket ban on acid sale, HC tells Delhi govt to enforce rules

The Delhi high court refused to completely ban the sale of acid in the city on Thursday, saying it would harm businesses and individuals who use it for lawful purposes. A bench of chief justice Satish Chandra Sharma and justice Sanjeev Narula directed the Delhi government to strictly enforce the existing rules and regulations governing the sale of acid and to prevent its misuse for criminal purposes. “Acid serves a variety of legitimate uses and applications in different industries, and a blanket prohibition could inadvertently affect businesses and individuals who require it for lawful purposes,” it said. However, a bench of chief justice Satish Chandra Sharma and justice Sanjeev Narula directed the Delhi government to strictly enforce the existing rules and regulations governing the sale of acid and to prevent its misuse for criminal purposes. The Delhi government’s standing counsel, Santosh Kumar Tripathi, assured the court that the state was strictly implementing the rules and drew its attention to reports received from districts indicating that 50 first information reports were registered with the Delhi Police between January 1, 2022 and May 20, 2023 against those found selling acid illegally.