Jaipur: The Rajasthan Assembly on Friday passed a bill to award death penalty to those found guilty of raping girls below 12 years of age, becoming the second state after Madhya Pradesh to do so. The Haryana Cabinet has also given its nod to make similar amendments in the Indian Penal Code, but has not yet passed the bill in the assembly.
The Criminal Laws (Rajasthan Amendment) Bill, 2018, was tabled in the Assembly on Wednesday. It seeks to add section 376-AA in the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which also limits sets the minimum punishment for raping girls below 12 years of age as 14 years.
“Whoever commits rape on a woman up to twelve years of age shall be punished with death, or rigorous imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than fourteen years but which may extend to imprisonment for life which shall mean imprisonment for the remainder of that person’s natural life, and shall also be liable to fine,” the amendment said.
A similar section, under section 376-DD, has been added for gang-rape.
The government said that it is bringing in the amendment as it has come to its notice that offences relating to child rape and child gang-rape are increasing. “Such crimes are heinous and turn the life of the victim into hell,” the government said in a statement.
“It is the prime duty of the society and the state to protect its offspring against all odds and give them an environment conducive for their mental and physical development. Therefore, such offences need to be dealt with an iron hand,” it said
“The state government is of the considered view that to protect the girl child up to twelve years of age from such heinous crimes, a deterrent punishment which may extend to the death of the offender should be provided for,” the statement added.
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