MANEKA PROPOSES DEATH PENALTY FOR CHILD RAPIST

Terming the Kathua rape case an extremely disturbing incident, Union Minister for Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi on Friday advocated death penalty for rape of children below 12 years and proposed an amendment to the POCSO Act.

“I have been deeply, deeply disturbed by the rape case in Kathua and all the recent rape cases that have happened on children. I and the (women and child development) ministry intend to bring an amendment to the POCSO Act asking for death penalty for rape of children below 12 years,” she said.

Her ministry will move a cabinet note on Monday to amend the Protection of Children Against Sexual Offences Act, she said, responding to media persons' queries here.

At present, there is no provision for capital punishment in the POCSO Act, with the maximum sentence being life imprisonment for penetrative sexual assault as well aggravated penetrative sexual assault.

An eight-year-old girl in Kathua in the Jammu region, who belonged to the minority nomadic community, had disappeared from near her home in the forests on January 10. A week later, her body was found in the same area, and medical examination pointed towards sexual assault.

The police arrested a juvenile. Later, the case was transferred to the Jammu and Kashmir Police's Crime Branch.