Lok Sabha passes bill to provide death penalty to child rape convicts

Adarsh Rout: The row over the publication of the National Register of Citizens in Assam echoed in the Parliament on Monday where Home Minister Rajnath Singh asserted the Centre has no role in the preparation of the draft list and it was done on the directives of the Supreme Court. The Rajya Sabha saw repeated disruptions over the NRC issue and was adjourned for the day amid a ruckus in the post lunch sitting. A bill that provides for stringent punishment, including death penalty for those convicted of raping girls below 12 years, was passed by the Lok Sabha.

The minimum punishment in cases of rape of women has been increased from rigorous imprisonment of seven years to 10 years, extendable to life imprisonment, Rijiju said.

– 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”.

– The punishment for gangrape of a girl below 16 years will invariably be imprisonment for the rest of life of the convict.

– Stringent punishment for rape of a girl under 12 years has been provided with the minimum jail term being 20 years which may go up to life in prison or death sentence. Gangrape of a girl under 12 years of age will invite punishment of jail term for the rest of life or death.

– The deadline for the completion of trial in all rape cases will be two months. A six-month time limit for the disposal of appeals in rape cases has also been prescribed, the bill says, adding that there will also be no provision for anticipatory bail for a person accused of rape or gangrape of a girl under 16 years.