Like our Facebook Page

news details

Union Cabinet clears ordinance on death penalty to child rapists 4/21/2018 3:48:20 PM Agencies NEW DELHI: In the wake of outrage over the brutal rape and murder of a minor in Kathua, Jammu & Kashmir, the Union Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday approved an ordinance to allow courts to pronounce the death penalty to those convicted of raping children up to 12 years of age. The criminal law amendment ordinance seeks to amend the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Evidence Act, the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act to introduce a new provision to sentence convicts of such crimes to death. Today's ordinance approved by the Cabinet also prescribes the minimum punishment in case of rape of women to increase from rigorous imprisonment of 7 years to 10 years, extendable to life imprisonment. In case of rape of a girl under 16 years, minimum punishment has been increased from 10 years to 20 years, extendable to imprisonment for rest of life, which means imprisonment till that person’s natural life. For speedy trial of rape cases, new fast track courts will be set up in consultation with States/UTs and High Courts. The ordinance also prescribes that there will be no provision for anticipatory bail for a person accused of rape or gang rape of a girl under 16 years. The ordinance is being initiated to enforce the amendment immediately before a bill is introduced and passed by Parliament. After the case of the eight-year-old Kathua victim, other instances, such as in Surat where a nine-year-old was raped and killed, have added urgency to the government’s actions. The ordinance would be now sent to the President for his approval. Existing provisions of the POCSO Act provide for life imprisonment, though after the Nirbhaya case in 2012 the Centre had introduced the death penalty in cases where a woman either dies or is left in a vegetative state after rape.   Share This News with Your Friends on Social Network     Comment on this Story

top stories of the day

State BJP heading for a split? Rassana case: Role of one top politician under scan Retired police officers retain guards at their residences Hundreds of rape victims await justice in JK as Govt 'dumps' investigations PDP led government in no mood to annoy separatists by reopening cinema halls in Kashmir! PDP constitutes PAC, most party members upset with Tourism Minister Govt forgets Hindi, promotes Gojri, Pahari, Balti, Kashmiri Would Moza be sacked as his predecessors? Under pressure, BJP taking a U-turn Loot of green gold in Doda continues with impunity High Court stays supply order for dental chairs Cluster University Jammu creates additional burden on exchequer A decade later, Trauma Centers yet to made functional Police accused of bias in Budhal scuffle case Transfer list stuck; docs, middlemen worried SC notice to J&K Accountability Commission on plea challenging its powers Omar Abdullah heckled, his speech in University Of Berkeley stalled in US by Kashmiri Americans

STOCK UPDATE

BSE Sensex NSE Nifty

CRICKET UPDATE