Centre to bring law on death for rape of minors

On Saturday, the cabinet is likely to consider an ordinance on the Protection of Sexual of Offences (POCSO) Act to provide for the death penalty for the rapists of children below the age of 12.

The government intends to introduce the ordinance with immediate effect before a bill is passed by the President. The present provisions of the POCSO Act provide for life imprisonment. After the Nirbhaya incident, the Centre has held that death penalty should be given in cases where a woman dies or is left in a vegetative state after rape. 4 states have recently passed laws making the rape of a minor punishable by death.

The Centre has informed the Supreme Court on Friday that it intends to amend POSCO and provide the death penalty for sexual assaults on children below 12 years of age. In 2014, around 8900 cases of child abuse were reported under the POCSO Act.

Alakh Alok Srivastava an advocate filed a PIL asking for stringent punishment in order to stop the growing incidents of sexual assaults on minor girls. A letter from the ministry of women and child development was handed over to a Supreme Court bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud to bring necessary changes in the POCSO Act. The matter has been listed on April 27 for further hearing.

This came in the wake after an eight-month-old girl was raped by her 28-year-old cousin in West Delhi on January 29th.