When you Google ‘Rape in India’, the statistics will shock you. According to the National Crime Records Bureau, over 12,000 rape cases were recorded in India in the year 2012 alone; including the most traumatic Nirbhaya incident. In 2016, India recorded 106 rape cases a day. Isn’t it shocking? While annual statistics do claim that the crime has decreased over the past few years, we’re definitely far away from being a country in which the women can roam freely with the self-assurance that they will not be harassed in some form or the other.
Things like this will not end unless there is a strict punishment meted out for the same. That’s why it comes as some relief to learn that the Haryana Chief Minister, Manohar Lal Khattar, has given a ‘yes’ for a legislation that will administer the death penalty to convicts who are guilty of having raped minors.
In the same meeting of the State cabinet, they also discussed the punishment for the crimes against women to be more stringent.
Rape, or sexual assault of children under the age of 12 will be looked at more closely. The guilty will either be given a death penalty or rigorous imprisonment of not less than 20 years. In some cases, they are looking to amend the sentence to life imprisonment.
According to this proposal in the state cabinet, the punishment under section 354 of the IPC will not be less than two years when, earlier it was less than a year. It may even extend up to seven years from the earlier span of five years. This will be accompanied by a heavy fine to be paid by the guilty.
The CM went on to express how it is important to have ‘harsher punishment’ for anyone who has attempted to commit such a crime given the daily reporting of the incidents in the country.
While we hope that this justice also extends to include all rapes committed, we do think that this is some relief given the horrendous accounts of minor rapes cases in the past. Here’s to hoping there’s more progression in the Indian judiciary system for the betterment and safety of women.
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