In a historic move, the Madhya Pradesh assembly on Monday unanimously passed a bill that will see rapists of girls 12 years or below being hanged till death. The move comes after the Shivraj Singh Chouhan Cabinet approved the bill last week.
The bill will be sent to the Centre and will need the assent of the President to become a law. The latest report revealed that Madhya Pradesh recorded the highest number of rape cases in the country. Following the report, the bill proposes death penalty or a minimum term of 14-years rigorous imprisonment or life imprisonment till death for raping girls aged 12 or less passed in Assembly.
The minimum punishment increases to 20 years rigorous imprisonment for the gang rape of girls aged 12 or less. The bill also proposes punishment for disrobing, stalking or sex on the pretext of marriage. The jail term increases for second or subsequent offenses.
The bill proposes terms ranging between three and seven years for harassment (first offense). For second and subsequent offenses, the minimum jail term will be seven to 10 years and a fine of Rs 1 lakh. Second and subsequent offenses will be punished with minimum three years and maximum seven years in jail and fine of Rs 1 lakh.
Post Your Comments