Anti-rape bill passed in West Bengal, maximum punishment is death penalty

West Bengal is in turmoil over the rape and murder of a young doctor at RG Kar Hospital. In that atmosphere, West Bengal Criminal Law Amendment Bill 2024 (West Bengal Criminal Law Amendment Bill 2024) was passed in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly.

The opposition did not oppose this bill. As a result, the bill was passed unanimously. This is the first time a state has passed a separate bill for rape, gang-rape and sexual offenses against women and children, amending the Central Justice Code. But even if the bill is passed by the Assembly, it needs the signatures of Governor CV Anand Bose and President Draupadi Murmu to become law. If approved by the President, it will become law.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had earlier announced a separate anti-rape bill for the state in the wake of the RG tax incident. Similarly, the 'Aparajita Bill' was passed in the Assembly on Tuesday. Mamata referred to this day as 'historic'. The bill provides for death penalty in cases of rape and murder by rape.

Today in the special session of the state assembly in West Bengal, the law minister of the state Malay Ghatak introduced the bill with the provision of death penalty as punishment for rape. It was then discussed in the assembly. According to a report in India Today, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee requested Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Subvendu Adhikari to urge the Governor to approve the bill.

The state BJP has already welcomed the bill. Speaking in the Assembly today, Leader of Opposition in the state Subhendu Adhikari said that he has brought seven amendments. He also wants this bill to be passed. Let it become law. After the discussion, Subhendu Adhikari raised slogans demanding justice in the RG tax case.

In the new amendment bill passed, raping a woman below the age of 16 will be punishable by a minimum sentence of 20 years imprisonment or life imprisonment and fine. Rape of a person under 12 years of age is punishable by minimum 20 years or life imprisonment and fine or death penalty. And if a woman below 18 years of age is gang-raped, she will be sentenced to life imprisonment and fine or death penalty.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested RG Kar Hospital principal Sandeep Ghosh and three others yesterday. These three are Sandeep Ghosh's bodyguard Afsar Ali and two businessmen close to the principal, Suman Hazra and Biplab Singh. They were produced in a special CBI court in Kolkata this afternoon.

Bangladesh /SBT