The proposal demanded death penalty to those raping a child of below 12 years of rape. As per POCSO, the punishment for the 'aggravated assault' is life imprisonment and the minimum is seven years in jail. After 2012, in view of Nirbhaya gangrape case, the laws were amended and a provision was introduced of the death penalty when the victim either dies or is left in a "vegetative state".
New Delhi: After wrapping up the five-day visit to Sweden and the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has summoned an urgent meeting of Union Cabinet at 11 am on Saturday. The Cabinet is expected to roll out the legislation that have been pending in Parliament and needs Central government's attention. The ordinance on fugitives, commercial courts and death penalty to those raping a child of age up to 12 years. An Economic Times sources said that the government would discuss the ordinances and would also try to roll out laws on an immediate basis as the Monsoon Session has time to commence.
The Fugitive Economic Offenders Bill, 2018, the Commercial Courts, Commercial Division and Commercial Appellate Division of High Courts (Amendment) Bill, 2018 and Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Bill, 2018 are to be taken up and discussed by the Union Cabinet today. Another major ordinance that is to be taken up for discussion is the one to award death penalty to convicted rapists of a child below 12 years of age. The government is expected to bring the amendments in the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) in the wake of incidents in Kathu in Jammu and Kashmir where an eight-year-old girl was raped, tortured and murdered in Kathua.
