Resolution to make stalking non-bailable
THE ASSEMBLY PASSED A RESOLUTION TO MAKE STALKING A NONBAILABLE OFFENCE AND TO AWARD DEATH PENALTY TO THOSE CONVICTED OF RAPING MINORS
NEWDELHI: The Delhi Assembly on Tuesday passed a resolution to make stalking a non-bailable offence and to award death penalty to those convicted of raping minors.
The issue was raised in the House by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Alka Lamba who demanded that the Delhi government present an anti-stalking Bill urging the Centre to amend the law. Citing cases where women were murdered by their stalkers, Lamba stressed on the urgency to bring an amendment to section 354(d) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Delhi home minister Satyendar Jain told the House that the government would present the Bill seeking amendments to the IPC. “The government will table the Bill. It will be sent to the Centre once it is passed by the Delhi Assembly,” Jain said.
Jain added that he hoped the Centre would not object to it. A resolution demanding the same was then moved by AAP MLA Saurabh Bharadwaj which was passed with voice vote in the Assembly.
“The law should be amended to make stalking a non-bailable offence. The resolution also demands death penalty for rapists of minor victims under 12 years of age,” the resolution stated.
According to current laws, the first conviction for stalking leads to a jail term of 3 years along with a fine. The jail term, if convicted for the second time, is 5 years and a fine.
According to data released by the National Crime Records Bureau, Delhi registers the highest number of stalking cases across all cities. In 2016, there were 671 cases of stalking registered in Delhi, compared to 364 in Mumbai. Chennai had only 10 stalking cases, while Bangalore and Kolkata had 45 and 87 cases.
Last Friday, a 17-year-old girl reportedly committed suicide in outer Delhi’s Alipur after she was stalked and harassed by some locals.
The teenager alleged in her suicide note that wherever she went, the men followed her leaving her with no option but to end her life.
There have also been several cases of stalkers getting violent and committing murders in the past few years. In 2016, a 21-yearold school teacher was stabbed around 30 times by her stalker in a busy street in north Delhi.
AAP’S women’s wing chief, Richa Pandey, who along with Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) has been running a ‘Rape Roko’ campaign, said there is a need to look at cases of stalking differently.
“Bollywood has made stalking a romantic thing. But, stalking should not be taken lightly. As per NCRB data, there were 7,000 stalking cases in 2016 alone. The House should also seek data on the number of calls the Delhi Police’s anti-stalking helpline ‘1096’ gets,” Pandey said.