Rape law to be made tougher, Centre tells Supreme Court

The Centre submitted that it has initiated the process to amend the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act in order to include death penalty for those convicted of raping minors aged 0-12. This amendment will also include death penalty for those convicted of aggravated sexual assault on minors.

Additional Solicitor General PS Narasimha gave the Supreme Court this assurance riding on the outrage over the rape and death of an eight-year-old tribal nomad girl in Kathua.

Narasimha placed a letter signed by the deputy secretary of the Union ministry of Women and Child Development before a bench led by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra. "The ministry proposes to amend the POCSO Act-2012 to introduce the death penalty for abusers in cases of aggravated sexual assault against children," it read.

The petition also sought Rs 10 lakh in compensation for the victim, besides framing of guidelines that would ensure the completion of investigation and trial of POCSO cases within six months of registering the FIR.