In Raj, death penalty for rape of girls aged 12 & below

New Delhi: Rajasthan on Friday approved a bill providing for the death penalty to those convicted of raping girls under 12 years of age. Madhya Pradesh has already cleared a bill with similar provisions in December last year while Haryana Cabinet this February gave its nod to a proposal to bring in such legislation. Maharashtra and Karnataka are also considering the death penalty for child rapists.

The amendment bill was tabled in the Rajasthan assembly on Wednesday. The Criminal Laws (Rajasthan Amendment) Bill, 2018, seeks to add section 376-AA in the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which will be defined as: "Punishment for rape on a woman up to twelve years of age. Whoever commits rape on a woman up to twelve years of age shall be punished with death, or rigorous imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than fourteen years but which may extend to imprisonment for life which shall mean imprisonment for the remainder of that person's natural life, and shall also be liable to fine."