Rapists of children below 12 to get death as Union Cabinet approves change in law

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KalingaTV News Network

New Delhi: In a bid to check the increasing rape of children in the country, the Union Cabinet on Saturday approved an ordinance to allow courts to award death penalty to those convicted of raping children up to 12 years of age.

The Cabinet also gave its green signal for increasing the minimum punishment, in case of rape of a girl under 16 years, from 10 years to 20 years which is extendable to life imprisonment.

Likewise, the Union Cabinet also decided to increase the minimum punishment in case of rape of women from rigorous imprisonment of seven years to 10 years, which is extendable to life imprisonment.

Earlier, as per the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) law, the maximum punishment for “aggravated assault” was life in jail. The minimum sentence prescribed was seven years in jail.

The Cabinet has also decided to put in place measures for speedy investigation and trial of rape cases.

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 punishment of death.

The Union Cabinet’s decision came in the wake of the alleged rape and murder of girls in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua and Gujarat’s Surat district recently.

The rape of a minor in Unnao district of Uttar Pradesh is also another incident which has created outrage across the nation.

The ordinance would be now sent to President Ram Nath Kovind for his approval.

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