The Lok Sabha on Thursday took up a bill entailing amendments to the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act by including death penalty for aggravated sexual assault on children, besides providing stringent punishments for other crimes against minors.
Piloting the Bill, Union Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani as many as 47 crore citizens of the country will find added protection by the draft law – which has been approved by Rajya Sabha. “The amendment that I have brought will correct the anomalies in tune with the Indian Penal Code,” she said.
The POCSO covers the population irrespective of gender and the “perpetrators of crime is also recognised irrespective of the gender”. The Bill also provides for fines and imprisonment to curb child pornography, Irani said adding bringing such a law has become all the more relevant as in modern times chances of pornography has increased many times. The Bill thus also essentially defines Child Pornography.
Trinamool Congress member Shatabdi Roy supported the Bill but suggested measures to help the victims in a more humane manner. The Bill increases the minimum punishment from seven years to ten years. It further adds that if a person commits penetrative sexual assault on a child below the age of 16 years, he will be punishable with imprisonment between 20 years to life, with a fine.
The Bill adds two more grounds to the definition of aggravated penetrative sexual assault. These include assault resulting in death of child, and assault committed during a natural calamity, or in any similar situations of violence. At present the punishment for aggravated penetrative sexual assault is imprisonment between 10 years to life, and a fine. The Bill increases the minimum punishment from ten years to 20 years, and the maximum punishment to death penalty.
(UNI)
