Maharashtra Cabinet clears draft bills for heinous crimes against women, children
The Maharashtra Cabinet on Wednesday (December 10) approved the introduction of two key bills, drafted to provide security to women and children with provisions for punishments including death penalty for rape, acid attack and child abuse.
FollowMumbai: In a bid to curb crimes against women and children in Maharashtra, the state cabinet on Wednesday approved two draft bills that propose death penalty for heinous cases of rape, acid attack and child abuse.
The Maharashtra Shakti Criminal Law (Maharashtra Amendment) Act, 2020 and the Special Court and Machinery for Implementation of Maharashtra Shakti Criminal Law, 2020 – which was approved by the state Cabinet presided by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray will be tabled when the Assembly sessions begins on December 14.
The draft bill seeks to amend relevant sections of the IPC, CrPC and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act for the proposed law''s application in the state.
The cabinet approved the draft bill at a meeting in Mumbai and it will be tabled in the state legislature during its upcoming winter session, Home Minister Anil Deshmukh told reporters after the meeting.
Drafted on the lines of the Disha Act framed by Andhra Pradesh, they seek to amend relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Criminal Procedural Code (CrPC) and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.
The provisions of the new law aim to control heinous sexual offences against women and children.
It provides for completing investigation and trial within a stipulated time-frame and stringent punishment, including the death penalty and heavy fines, for the culprits, Deshmukh said.
Special police teams and separate courts will be set up for investigation and trial of cases against women and children, according to the draft bill.
The perpetrators, if found guilty, will be punished with imprisonment for life for not less than ten years but may extend to the remainder of natural life or with death in cases which have characteristics of being heinous in nature, it said.
Under the proposed legislation, a sum of ₹ 10 lakh will be given to an acid attack victim for plastic surgery and facial reconstruction and the amount will be collected as fine from the convict.
Meanwhile, the government has decided that the winter session of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly will be held in Nagpur instead of Mumbai this time.
