Cabinet approves Death penalty for Minor Rape Convicts

New Delhi, Apr 21: Finally, The Cabinet on Thursday approved an ordinance which will allow the death penalty to be given to those who are convicted of raping children up to 12 years of age.

The emergency cabinet meeting was called in the backdrop of outrage over the incidents of rape of minors in Uttar Pradesh's Unnao and Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua.

The Union Cabinet has approved an ordinance for death penalty to those convicted of raping minors below 12 years of age. The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO Act) 2012 would be part of this amendment.

Against the backdrop of outrage over the incidents of rape of minors in Uttar Pradesh's Unnao and Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua, the government plans to bring the ordinance to amend the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.

According to the proposal, those convicted of committing rape on children up to 12 years can also be awarded death penalty. As the POCSO law stands today, the maximum punishment for "aggravated assault" is life in jail. The minimum sentence prescribed is seven years in jail.

As the meeting concludes, Cabinet Ministers including Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Uma Bharti, Piyush Goyal, Smriti Irani, Harshvardhan, Ravi Shankar Prasad, JP Nadda were seen leaving the 7, Lok Kalyan Marg.