Differences
sorted out on rape bill
Sorting out
differences, a Group
of
Ministers (GoM) tonight recommended lowering of age of
consent for
sex from 18 to 16 years and suggested stern
punishment
for offences like stalking.
Working speedily, the GoM completed
its task in the second
meeting,
paving the way for consideration of the Criminal Laws
(Amendment)
Bill by the Union Cabinet tomorrow.
The age of consent for sex was one
of the highly
contentious
provisions in the Bill, because of which it was
referred by
the Cabinet to the GoM yesterday.
"We have gone through every
provision of the proposed bill
and all
issues have been resolved. Now the matter will go to
Cabinet
tomorrow and hopefully it will be passed tomorrow,"
Telecom
Minister Kapil Sibal told reporters.
At today's GoM meeting, there was
consensus on lowering
the age
from 18 to 16 years, subject to approval by
Parliament.
Women and Child Development Minister
Krishna Tirath had
been
opposing any move to lower the age of consent.
The GoM, chaired by Finance Minister
P Chidambaram, also
recommended
that sustained stalking be made a non-bailable
offence
while first offence of voyeurism could be a bailable
offence,
sources said.
Repeat offences of voyeurisn, inappropriate
touch, gesture
and remarks
have been recommended as non-bailable offences,
they said.
The GoM also decided to retain the
term 'rape' in the bill
and treat
it gender-specific, instead of the proposal to make
it
gender-neutral.
Provisions seeking strong action
against those filing
false
complaints were dropped from the draft Bill, the sources
said adding
that there was consensus in the GoM that existing
laws were
adequate for dealing with such cases and it was only
a matter of
enforcing them.
The Bill will replace Criminal Laws
Ordinance promulgated
on February
3 in the wake of public outrage over the December
16 Delhi
The Ordinance has to be approved by
Parliament before its
recess from
March 22, failing which it would lapse on April 4.
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