Criminal Law Amendment Bill which proposes death penalty for child rape passed in Lok Sabha
Parliament
Replying to an over two-hour discussion on the measure, Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju said the stringent law was aimed at providing safety to minor girls.
The Lok Sabha on Monday passed the landmark Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill 2018.
The bill provides for stringent punishment, including the death penalty for the rape of a child below 12 years of age.
The Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill seeks to replace the Criminal Law (Amendment) Ordinance promulgated on April 21 following an outcry over the gang rape and murder of a minor girl in Kathua in Jammu and Kashmir and the rape of a woman in Unnao in Uttar Pradesh.
Although the Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill 2018 was supported by most members across the political spectrum and passed by a voice vote, some in the Opposition objected to the government adopting the ordinance route to enact the law.
Replying to an over two-hour discussion on the bill, Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju said the stringent law was aimed at providing safety to minor girls.
"New provision proposes that court, where rape cases are trialled, should be presided by a woman judge. The statement in rape cases should be recorded by a woman police officer," said Kiren Rijiju during the discussion on The Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill 2018.
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Rijiju said the Indian Penal Code provided for punishment for those convicted of raping a woman, but there was no specific provision for the rape or gang rape of minor girls below 16 or 12 years of age. These are "very important provisions" which the government has proposed, Rijiju said.
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi opposed the bills saying a "law cannot stop the rape of children, change of men's mentality can."
BJD MP Pinaki Misra suggested that the bill should have been sent to a standing or select committee and added that its structure requires further improvement.
NCP member Supriya Sule, expressing concern over the rising number of rapes in the country, asked whether "we are becoming regressive" as a society.
Several states including Haryana and Rajasthan have already passed similar laws in their assemblies.