Parliament Passes Bill Allowing Death Sentence for Rape of Children
Parliament Passes Bill Allowing Death Sentence for Rape of Children Parliament on Monday passed a bill that allows for the death penalty or life imprisonment for raping children below the age of 12 years. This bill also focuses on increased minimum punishment for raping of girls from 7 to 10 years. The Lok Sabha passed the Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2018, on July 30, following which it was unanimously passed by voice vote in the Rajya Sabha on Monday. The bill would replace an ordinance promulgated by the government in April after an outcry over the alleged rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl in Jammu and Kashmir. The minimum punishment for raping women has been increased from the rigorous imprisonment of seven years to 10 years. According to the bill, in case of rape of a girl under 16 years, the minimum punishment has been increased from 10 to 20 years, extendable to imprisonment for rest of life, which means jail term till the convict's "natural life". Gangrape of a girl under 12 years of age would land the convict in jail for the rest of life or death. The measure also provides for speedy investigations and trial. The time limit for the investigation of all cases of rape has been prescribed, which has to be mandatorily completed within two months. The deadline for the completion of a trial in all rape cases will be two months. -PTC NEWS
