Death for child rape: Delhi HC raps Centre for not carrying out research on ordinance
New Delhi, Apr 23 (IBNS): The Delhi High Court on Monday rapped the Centre for coming out with an ordinance awarding death penalty to those convicted of raping children up to 12 years of age.
The court asked the Centre if it had done any research before bringing out such an ordinance.
“Did you carry out any study, any scientific assessment that death penalty is a deterrent to rape? Have you thought of the consequences to the victim?," a bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar reportedly questioned the Centre.
The bench asked that how many victims will be left alive by the offenders when they will find that murder and rape amount to same punishment.
A day after the Union Cabinet cleared the ordinance to award death penalty to those convicted of raping children up to 12 years of age, President Ram Nath Kovind on Sunday signed the executive order allowing the same.
The significant move came amid the nationwide outrage over the series of incidents of sexual assault of minor girls, including the one in Kathua.
Through this ordinance, the government amends the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO Act) 2012, allowing courts to award death penalty to those convicted for raping children below 12 years.
The ordinance would be now sent to the President for his approval
Presently under the POCSO Act, the maximum punishment for aggravated assault on minors is life in jail. The minimum sentence is seven years in jail.
Even while the Cabinet led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi met to discuss the issue, the rape and murder of an four-month-old infant in Indore sent fresh shockwaves across the country.
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