On Thursday,the Upper House of Indian Parliament cleared the legislation two days after the Lok Sabha passed the anti-rape bill, on the Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2013, which upholds 18 years as the age for consensual sex, and brands acts like disrobing, ghoulishness and stalking punishable offences.Even acid attacks have been made punishable offences under new law.
The bill in the Upper House was moved by the Home Minister S.K. Shinde to provide more weight to anti-rape laws. "The brave heart that fought for her dignity, we can at least honour her by passing this bill soon," he said.
A resolution disapproving the Criminal Law Amendment Ordinance moved by Communist Party of India leader D Raja was overruled by the House. The bill was voted on in presence of the Prime Minister Man Mohan Singh in the House.
However, Rajya Sabha members, keeping their party affiliations aside voiced concern over security of women in India and demanded strong measures for their protection.
In the course of debate ,Maya Singh of Bharatiya Janata Party said any one over 16 years of age should be punished if found guilty of rape.
She said, “If a juvenile is mentally fit to commit such crime, he should not be considered juvenile. If anyone is above 16, and rapes a woman and murders he should be given the death sentence,"
One of the accused in the December 16 Delhi gang-rapes is a juvenile, whose case is being heard by the juvenile justice board. M Venkaiah Naidu of BJP reiterated that the government should make it binding to register FIR in such cases and police officers need to be trained gender-sensitive and add more ladies to police force for the purpose. Further, he added that moral science should be compulsory in school curriculum to develop values in kids.
The Congress member Prabha Thakur said the new laws should guarantee justice for each and every woman.
She said “presently women do not feel free to register cases of rape or molestation because they fear that they will be maligned and would not get justice,"
She further added that If justice is done, and punishment is given, more women will file cases against the criminals who would get a sense of fear in their minds.
Communist Party of India-Marxist’s backed making 16 years the age of consent for sex. She also demanded that rape of a Dalit or tribal female by a non-Dalit or non-tribal male should be considered a provocative and serious crime.
Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde while moving the bill, had said the brutal gang-rape and consequent death of a 23-year-old braveheart in Delhi shook the conscience of the whole nation, and there was a pressing demand for a tougher and stricter law against rape in the country.