After MP, Rajasthan & Haryana, Now Delhi Makes Rape Of Girls Under 12 Punishable By Death

The Delhi assembly on Tuesday unanimously passed a resolution demanding amendments to the existing law to award death penalty to those convicted of rape of children under 12. The House also resolved to make stalking a non-bailable offence.

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To do this, the Delhi government would have to draft a criminal law amendment Bill, get it cleared by the cabinet and then the assembly. Given the brute majority AAP enjoys in the House, it should be passed easily. But the challenge lies in the fact that Delhi isn¡¯t a full state. So, any amendment would have to be vetted by the LG and the ministry of home affairs. The approval of LG and MHA would be necessary to amend provisions in the Indian Penal Code and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act to make them applicable to Delhi.

BJP-ruled Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Haryana are the other states that have passed amendments in laws that entail capital punishment for those convicted of such rapes. Delhi now becomes the fourth and only non-BJP ruled state to move in the direction of bringing such an amendment.

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The resolution brought by AAP MLA from Greater Kailash, Saurabh Bharadwaj, states that the Delhi government should immediately introduce suitable legislation to amend the Indian Penal Code and the Criminal Procedure Code. It was passed by voice vote.

The resolution was preceded by a discussion on the proposed amendments. Chandni Chowk MLA Alka Lamba, who initiated the discussion, said that sex crimes against women should stop and women should be protected.

Delhi¡¯s home minister Satyendar Jain assured the House that the Bill would soon be presented in the House for necessary changes in law. ¡°I hope that the Centre will also not obstruct the amendments,¡± Jain said. He added that such amendments in the law can work as a major deterrent.

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Initially, the MLAs demanded capital punishment for rape of minors below 18 years, but later, the age was revised to below 12 years to keep it in line with the amendments introduced in states like Madhya Pradesh so that the Union government approves the changes, sources said.

Earlier, in the wake of the rape of an eight-month-old baby by an adult in the city had pushed Delhi Commission for Women to launch a ¡®Rape Roko¡¯ campaign to demand strict action against those accused of child sexual abuse. The campaign demanded death penalty for such rapists.