Acid Attack

Regulation on sale of ACID

• The Home Ministry has asked the State governments to ban over-the-counter sale of acids as directed by the Supreme Court in its July order to curb growing incidents of attacks on women.


• Sale of acid now comes under The Poisons Possession And Sales Rules, 2013, thereby including at least a dozen acids in the list of poisons to curb their sale.


• Atleast a dozen of acids namely : acetic acid, phosphoric acid, hydrofluoric acid, perchloric acid, formic acid, oxalic acid, perchloride of mercury (corrosive sublimate), sulphuric acid, hydrochloric acid, hydrocyanic acid, nitric acid, potassium hydroxide and sodium hydroxide, that would have restricted sale.


• The Ministry has asked the States to impose a fine of Rs.50,000 on sellers who do not maintain a register on personal information about buyers.