The Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2018, which provides for stringent punishment including death penalty for those convicted of raping girls below the age of 12 years, was today introduced in the Lok Sabha.
The amendment bill, once approved by Parliament, will replace the Criminal Law (Amendment) Ordinance promulgated on April 21, following an outcry over the rape and murder of a minor girl in Kathua in Jammu and Kashmir and the rape of another woman in Unnao in Uttar Pradesh.
Introducing the bill, Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju said the recent incidents of rape and gangrape of women under the age of 16 years and 12 years have shaken the conscience of the entire nation.
Therefore, the offences of rape and gangrape of women under the age of 16 years and 12