West Bengal Assembly passes anti-rape Bill prescribing death penalty for convicts : Valley Vision

In the wake of the rape and murder of a junior doctor in a Kolkata hospital, the West Bengal Assembly on Tuesday unanimously passed an anti-rape Bill — Aparajita Woman and Child (West Bengal Criminal Laws and Amendment) Bill – that has provisions for stringent punishment including death penalty and faster trial in rape cases.

The Bill seeks to amend parts of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO Act), as applicable to West Bengal.

Speaking in the Assembly after tabling the Bill, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said the proposed legislation aims at quick investigation, fast justice delivery, and enhanced punishment of the guilty.

The state will form a special Aparajita Task Force to ensure time-bound completion of the probe, said Mamata who calls the Bill “historic.”

Trinamool Congress supremo informed the House that the day of the introduction of the Bill coincided with the 1981 UN convention on eliminating all forms of discrimination against women. She said: “This coincidence gives me goosebumps.”

“You should be thrilled as well,” she added, pointing at the Opposition benches.

She also said that through this proposed legislation, her government has tried to plug the loopholes that exist in the Union government legislations in terms of speedy and effective disposal of justice to victims and their kin.

“What if I raise slogans against the prime minister and the home minister of the country for the very same reasons you are raising slogans against me… BJP-ruled states like Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat have abnormally high crime rates against women, whereas in West Bengal, tortured women are getting justice in courts,” said Mamata as BJP legislators shouted slogans, demanding the CM’s resignation over the RG Kar Medical Hospital incident.

“When Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita was implemented, I wrote to the Prime Minister that they should not be in a hurry to implement it. There should have been more clarification. If that happened, this situation would not have arisen,” she said.

She went on to say: “We wanted the Centre to amend its existing laws (for rape cases) and include stricter clauses to ensure exemplary punishment for perpetrators and quicker justice to the victims. They showed no enthusiasm for it. That’s why we made the move first. This Bill, once enacted, can serve as a model for the rest of the country.”

“I demand the resignation of PM Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and chief ministers of all states that have failed to implement effective laws that can ensure security of women and children across the country,” said Mamata.

“Rape is a curse against humanity and social reforms are required to prevent such crimes,” she added.