HYDERABAD: The Central government is planning to amend Section 376 and related Sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), allowing capital punishment for raping individuals under the age of 18. Current provisions allow for capital punishment to those convicted of raping children less than 12 years old.
“We are planning to amend the related Sections to increase the age limit to 18 or 20. An amendment Bill will soon be introduced in Parliament,” Union Minister of State for Home Affairs G Kishan Reddy told reporters here on Saturday, and added that the Centre would amend the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act to include the stringent provisions.
He also said that new Acts on cyber security and cyber terrorism would soon be enacted by the Centre.
Responding to a question, the MoS said that all foreigners staying in the country illegally — without valid documents — would be deported. “Terrorism and women’s safety are major challenges before the government.
Though women’s safety is a subject of the States, the Centre too is financing some State programmes like She-Teams,” he asserted.C
All police stations to be connected
Reddy said that every police station India would be linked to North Block. “So far, 60-to-70% of police stations in the country are linked to the Home Ministry. The rest will be linked by the end of this month. Once an FIR is filed in any police station, it will immediately be known by the minister of home affairs in North Block,” he explained
The Business Advisory Committee (BAC) meeting, to further discuss the agenda of Parliament, would be held on Monday, Kishan Reddy said and hinted that the Parliament session was likely to be extended till August 2. “The MHA is a very useful department to serve the people. I am also learning lot while interacting with the officers concerned,” he said, and added that he was going to North Block as a student to learn matters related to the Ministry of Home Affairs. He further said he would initiate a debate on the amendment Bill on unlawful activities on Monday. He also called on Governor ESL Narasimhan at the Raj Bhavan on Saturday.
Meanwhile, BJP MLC N Ramchander Rao alleged that the TRS completed the Assembly session without debating pressing issues. “The TRS is facing a lot of opposition from the people. In the municipal polls, it will meet the same fate as it did in the LS polls,” he said.