The Union Cabinet on Wednesday decided to introduce a bill that provides stringent punishment, including death penalty, for those convicted of raping girls below the age of 12 years, PTI reported. The bill will be introduced in the Monsoon Session of Parliament that commenced on Wednesday.
Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the decision to introduce the bill, which has been prepared by the Home Ministry, was taken at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
If approved by Parliament, the Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2018, will replace the Criminal Law (Amendment) Ordinance that was introduced after protests against the murder and alleged rape of a girl in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua in January.
The bill proposes to increase the minimum punishment of those convicted of rape from seven years to 10 years. It is extendable to life imprisonment, an unidentified official told PTI. It also proposes to increase the minimum penalty of those convicted of raping a girl under 16 years from 10 years to 20 years. It may also be extended to life imprisonment.
The proposed legislation also includes provisions for speedy investigation and mandates that trials have to be completed within two months, the news agency reported. The people accused in cases involving girls below 16 years will not have the option of applying for anticipatory bail.
Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Haryana have already introduced legislation providing death penalty to rapists of children below 12 years of age. On July 12, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat said his government would modify existing laws to make rape of minor girls punishable by death.
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