Finally, A Law We Need! India To Introduce Death Penalty For Child Rapists

Finally, A Law We Need! India To Introduce Death Penalty For Child Rapists

In the light of recent events, this was perhaps a move we were all expecting, and hoping would happen really quick.  The President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, approved death penalty for rapists of children under 12 years. The decision comes at a crucial time when reports of crimes against children are on the rise, and each one sounds more horrifying than the previous. In particular, the rapes in Kathua and Unnao have seen a huge movement by the citizens urging the government to take sterner action against the accused. 

This is also important due to the earlier inaction by the government. The PM released no statements condemning any of the crimes, and drew the ire of everyone for the seeming dismissal of such a searing issue. 

The Ordinance provides for a death sentence, lifetime imprisonment or a minimum sentence of 20 years for the rape of a child under 12 years of age. A person accused of raping a girl below 16  can be put away for a minimum of 20 years.  The Ordinance also states that all investigations of cases of rape must be completed within 2 months. The minimum punishment for rapes of women has also been increased from rigorous imprisonment for 7 to 10 years, which can be extended to life imprisonment. 

We applaud the government for finally taking a call on this issue (We have been called out on it by the IMF chief Christine Lagarde, no less.) However, we hope that the implementation is as stringent and justice is delivered swiftly. 

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