How India's Laws Against Acid Sales Are Failing — and What Needs to Change

The facts

• 1India's Supreme Court ruled in 2013 that shops must ask for government-issued ID before selling acid, and buyers must state a reason for the purchase — rules meant to stop attacks.
• 2The Hindu visited multiple neighbourhood markets in Delhi in April 2026 and found acid sold freely at several shops without any identity check or record-keeping.
• 3Acid attacks cause severe burns and often permanent blindness; the acid most commonly misused — concentrated sulphuric or hydrochloric acid — is also used in cleaning drains, making enforcement tricky.
• 4Under the Indian Penal Code (IPC), an acid attack carries a minimum sentence of ten years, yet lax sale controls mean the substance can still be obtained easily before any crime is even considered.
• 5Survivors' rights groups such as Chhanv Foundation argue that strict point-of-sale enforcement — like the checks applied to pesticides or certain medicines — would be the single most effective prevention step.