HYDERABAD: Dismissing the amendment to a criminal law bill that proposes death sentence for convicted child rapists, AIMIM chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi on Monday instead called for a change in “men’s mindset and their equation with power” to curb rapes.
Speaking in the Lok Sabha hours after the Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill 2018 was passed in the House, Owaisi said, “Laws can’t stop rape. Mentality change can. What we require is the change in mindset of men. The equation that men have with power should change.”
“Death penalty cannot be justified on the grounds of retribution and deterence or proportionality. This notion of eye for an eye has no place in our constitutionally-mediated criminal justice system,” he added.
To support his argument, Owaisi cited a ruling made by acting Chief Justice of Delhi High Court Geeta Mittal, wherein she had enquired if a scientific assessment had been made to conclude that death penalty was a deterrent to rape. “Have you thought about the consequences to the victim? How many offenders will allow their victims to survive, now that they know murder and rape have the same punishment?” Owaisi asked citing Mittal’s observation.
He also cited the Justice Verma Committee report which was constituted after the Nirbhaya gangrape, saying, “The report only proposed awarding death sentences to terror-related crimes.”Terming the Centre as a “righteous government” whose support for the Bill was “an eyewash”, Owaisi said, “This is all an eyewash. Their politicians are supporting perpetrators of child rape.”