Parliament on Thursday passed the anti-rape Bill with Rajya Sabha approving it with voice vote in the same form as it was passed by Lok Sabha two days ago. The Bill provides for not only stringent punishment for rapists and repeat offenders but also makes maiden provisions of strict punishment for offences like stalking, voyeurism, disrobing and acid attacks.
The Bill, which will now replace the existing anti-rape Ordinance, provides for even capital punishment for rapist if the act causes death for victim or leave her in a permanent vegetative state. Repeat offenders may also get death penalty under the new law.
The Lok Sabha passed a bill which provides for natural life term or even death for repeat offenders of rape and other stringent punishment for various offences like stalking, voyeurism and acid attacks.
Despite different parties claiming that they were concerned about safety of women in the country, the lower house was largely empty during the voting. Congress president Sonia Gandhi, her son and party vice president Rahul Gandhi and other senior ministers were among those missing.
The Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill-2013, brought against the backdrop of the country-wide outrage over December 16 Delhi gang rape, also makes it clear that the age of consent will be 18, which was a sticking point with political parties.
“I wish to state that we are enacting the strict law to act as a deterrent,” home minister Sushilkumar Shinde said, replying to a nearly six-hour debate on the Bill.
The Bill seeks to replace an Ordinance promulgated on February 3, which will expire on April 4.
It seeks to amend the Indian Penal Code, the Code of Criminal Procedure, the Indian Evidence Act and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.
The Bill was passed after all amendments moved by opposition and one by UPA constituent NCP for a life-term for perpetrators of acid attacks were defeated.
“Time has come to send out a loud, clear and deterrent signal that the society will not tolerate such errant behaviour,” Shinde said, underlining that the Bill was being brought to plug loopholes in the law.
With an aim of providing a strong deterrent against rapes and gang rapes, the Bill states that an offender can be sentenced to minimum 20 years in jail, which may extend to life, meaning imprisonment for the remainder of that person's natural life and with a fine.
It has provisions for handing out death sentence to offenders who may have been convicted earlier for such crimes. The Bill, for the first time, defines stalking and voyeurism as non- bailable offences if repeated for a second time. Perpetrators of acid attack will attract a 10-year jail term.
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