Bill on death penalty for rape victims passed in Bengal Parliament

She said she wanted justice for the victim's assistant doctor from the CBI (file)

Calcutta:

The Aparajita Woman and Child (West Bengal Criminal Laws Amendment) Bill, which provides for death penalty for convicts in cases of rape and murder and in cases of rape where the victim is left in a vegetative state, was passed in a majority vote in the state Assembly on Tuesday.

As promised, the BJP legislative team in the Assembly did not seek a split vote in the vote on passing the bill.

Describing the bill, which proposes amendments to the relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita 2023, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023 and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act 2012, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said during the debate on the bill that it was “a shame that the Prime Minister could not do what her government has done”.

She then said that since the Prime Minister could not take any initiative to protect women, he should resign and the Union Home Minister should also resign.

The Mamata government proposed the bill amid nationwide protests against the rape and murder of a doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata.

Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said she wanted justice for the victim's junior doctor through the CBI, which is currently investigating the rape and murder case.

She said the governor should immediately approve the bill so that it can be sent to the President's office for final approval. “After that, it is our responsibility to enforce the law and make it effective. Therefore, I call on the Leader of the Opposition in the House of Representatives to tell the governor to approve the bill as soon as possible,” the premier said.

The said bill requires the assent of the President as it provides for the amendment of certain provisions of the federal laws in this regard.

On the occasion, the Prime Minister also criticised the BJP MPs for their silence on similar rape and murder cases in the BJP-ruled states. “When you talk about an incident in West Bengal, are you not talking about what happened in Unnao? It is a shame that the MP accused in this case was given a floral wreath,” the Prime Minister said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)