Cabinet okays bill for death for rape of minor

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday cleared an amendment bill to provide for stringent punishment, including death penalty, for those convicted of raping girls below the age of 12 years.

The Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2018, which will be introduced in the ongoing Monsoon Session of Parliament, seeks to replace the Criminal Law (Amendment) Ordinance promulgated on April 21 after an outcry over the rape and murder of a minor girl in Kathua in Jammu and Kashmir and the rape of another woman in Unnao in Uttar Pradesh.

The Bill envisages stringent punishment for rape of girls under 12 years -- minimum 20 years imprisonment and maximum punishment of either life term or death. In cases of gang-rape of a girl below 12 years, according to the proposal, punishment will be imprisonment for the rest of life or death sentence.

Increase in jail term

The minimum punishment in case of rape of women has been increased from seven years rigorous imprisonment 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 the natural life of the convict. The punishment for gang-rape of a girl below 16 years will invariably be imprisonment for the rest of life of the convict.