A new law for death to those raping children below 12 came into force in India on Sunday, in response to days of unspeakable brutalities and subsequent outrage across states. More cases of rape and murder of kids poured in through the day, and shock mounted further when Union Minister Santosh Gangwar questioned "a brouhaha over one or two cases that sometimes cannot be stopped."

COMMERCIAL BREAK
SCROLL TO CONTINUE READING

"These cases are unfortunate, but sometimes, they cannot be stopped. The government is active and prompt everywhere. Everyone can see that it is taking action," said the Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Labour and Employment.

"But it's not fair to create a brouhaha if one or two cases take place in such a big country. It should be understood that the government is taking effective steps," he told reporters in his Parliamentary constituency Bareilly.       

President Ram Nath Kovind promulgated an ordinance to provide stringent punishment, including the death penalty, for rape of children below 12.

The latest outpouring of national revulsion came after chilling details emerged of the gang rape and murder of an eight-year-old Muslim girl in Jammu. Nationwide protests were also prompted by the arrest of a BJP MLA last week in connection with the rape of a young woman in Uttar Pradesh's Unnao.

On Saturday, a Cabinet meeting chaired by PM Narendra Modi cleared the Criminal Law (Amendment) Ordinance 2018. The executive order will have to be passed by Parliament in six months.

It says new fast-track courts will be set up to deal with such cases and special forensic kits will be given to all police stations and hospitals.

The minimum punishment in case of rape of women has been increased from rigorous imprisonment of seven years to 10 years, extendable to life imprisonment.

In case of rape of a girl under 16 years, the minimum punishment has been increased from 10 years to 20 years, extendable to life imprisonment.

The punishment for gangrape of a girl below 16 years will invariably be imprisonment for the rest of the life of the convict.

The Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Evidence Act, the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act now stand amended.

The time limit for investigation of all cases of rape has been prescribed, which has to be mandatorily completed within two months.

The deadline for the completion of trial in all rape cases will be two months. A six-month time limit for the disposal of appeals in rape cases has also been prescribed.

There will also be no provision for anticipatory bail for a person accused of rape or gangrape of a girl below 16.

KIDS TARGETED ACROSS INDIA

Muzaffarpur: A 10-year-old girl was raped and murdered in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur. Her body that bore several injury marks was recovered on Sunday morning.

Unnao: A minor girl was gang-raped by three men in Uttar Pradesh’s Unnao. She said that the accused had offered help in finding a job.

Muzaffarnagar: A 13-year-old girl was confined and raped by a doctor in his clinic for three days at a village in UP’s Muzaffarnagar.

Muzaffarnagar: A nine-year-old boy was sexually assaulted by a man in a village in Muzaffarnagar. The boy was lured and taken to a forest area by the man when he was playing at a field near his house.

Ghaziabad: A minor girl allegedly raped by three men at gunpoint in Ghaziabad. The incident took place on the intervening night of April 19 and 20. The trio barged into her house around midnight and took the girl to a secluded place. They stuffed a piece of cloth in her mouth and raped her. An FIR was registered against the three under IPC and POCSO Act.