After the gang rape and Murder of Disha and Veterinary Doctor in Hyderabad, there was widespread outrage across the country, and now in the wake of these cases, Andhra Pradesh Cabinet has passed AP Disha Bill that proposes the death penalty to rapists involved in these horrific cases.
The Andhra Pradesh cabinet on Wednesday approved the Andhra Pradesh Disha Bill, 2019. In which it is mandatory to settle cases of rape and gang rape against women in 21 days with death punishment for the culprits. The bill will be introduced in the current session of the Legislative Assembly.
In India, at present, there is no provision for the death penalty for rape convicts. Once the bill is passed Andhra Pradesh will be the first state to have capital punishments for rape cases. It will be called Andra Pradesh Disha Act which will be introduced in the state assembly on Thursday. Besides this, the state cabinet has proposed to increase the jail term from 10 years to lifetime for those convicted in sexual abuse children. It has also been decided that there would be special courts especially dealing with the cases associated with harassment of women.
In cases of harassment of women over email, social media or any other digital mode, as per the proposed bill, the culprit can warrant a jail sentence up to 2 years, and the second and subsequent convictions can lead to imprisonment up to 4 years. In cases of child sexual abuse, the Cabinet approved a decision to increase the terms of imprisonment under POCSO Act (3 years minimum, 5 years maximum) to 5 years minimum and 7 years maximum.
Also read: Singer Papon Cancels Delhi Show Over CAB(Citizenship Amendment Bill)
