Rajasthan passes bill to award death penalty for those who rape girls under 12 years

NEW DELHI: Rajasthan assembly today passed an amendment bill awarding death penalty for convicts involved in the rape of girls below 12 years of age.

Rajasthan home minister GC Kataria said that the amendment bill will award life sentence and life imprisonment to child rapists and will ensure that the convict doesn't get out of the jail even after completing 14 years of sentence.

"We have made two amendments in the case. Added life sentence and life imprisonment for convicts in offences against girls below 12 years of age, also made a provision that convict can't leave the prison for life even after completing 14 years of sentence," Kataria said.


By doing so, it became the second state after Madhya Pradesh to award death penalty to child rapists.

Last year, Madhya Pradesh assembly had unanimously passed 'The Penal Law (Madhya Pradesh Amendment) Bill-2017' awarding death to those found guilty of raping girls aged 12 and below. With this, Madhya Pradesh becomes the first State where those convicted of such rapes will face the gallows.

Last month, Rajasthan minister Gulab Chand Kataria told ANI that his government similar to that of Madhya Pradesh is mulling to bring a law under which, those convicted of raping minors will be executed.

"We are working on bringing a law similar to that has been made in Madhya Pradesh which awards death for the rape of children aged 12 or below. It will be tabled in the assembly when it is ready," he said.

As per the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) 2016 report, cases of crime against children have become rampant in Rajasthan in the recent past.

The BJP-ruled state recorded 4,034 such cases in 2016, which is 3.8 percent of the crimes against children (98,344) registered across the country. In 2015, the state had registered 3,689 cases of crime against children.

(With agencies inputs)