Union Cabinet Approves Ordinance Prescribing Death Penalty For Rape Of Girls Under 12 Years

The Union Cabinet has reportedly approved an Ordinance to be promulgated to provide the death penalty for rapists of girls below 12 years of age.

The Ordinance also provides for stringent punishment for perpetrators of rape particularly of girls below 16 years age and below 12 years of age. In case of rape of a girl under 16 years, minimum punishment increased from 10 years to 20 years, extendable to life imprisonment.

The Centre had told the Supreme Court yesterday that it is proposing to amend POCSO Act, 2012 for introducing the death penalty for the abuse in the cases of aggravated sexual assault against children.

“I am directed to refer to mentioned above writ petition and to inform that issues raised in the petition regarding the amendment of provisions of the POCSO Act, 2012 so as to provide maximum punishment of death penalty for commission of offences of rape of children up to 12 years of age group is under active consideration of the Ministry. The ministry is sensitive to the plight of young children brutally abused in the most horrific manner of rape of children up to 12 years of age group is under active consideration of the Ministry. The ministry is sensitive to the plight of young children brutally abused in the most horrific manner” said the note by a Deputy Secretary, Government of India handed over the bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra who is hearing a petition filed by Supreme Court advocate Alakh Alok Srivastava demanding death penalty for those raping children.