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posted by janrinok on Sunday April 22 2018, @05:44AM   Printer-friendly
from the make-the-punishment-fit-the-crime dept.

After a number of high-profile crimes that sparked outrage and protests, India will allow the death penalty for those convicted of raping girls under the age of 12:

The executive order was cleared at a special cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It allows capital punishment for anyone convicted of raping children under the age of 12. Minimum prison sentences for rape against girls under the age of 16 and women have also been raised.

According to Reuters, which has seen a copy of the order, there was no mention of boys or men.

Two recent rape cases have shocked the nation. Protests erupted earlier this month after police released horrific details of the rape of an eight-year-old Muslim girl by Hindu men in Kathua, in Indian-administered Kashmir in January. Anger has also been mounting after a member of the governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was accused last week over the rape of a 16-year-old girl in northern Uttar Pradesh state.

India's poor record of dealing with sexual violence came to the fore after the 2012 gang rape and murder of a student on a Delhi bus. This led to huge protests and changes to the country's rape laws. But sexual attacks against women and children have since continued to be reported across the country.

Some activists have criticized the application of the death penalty, saying it will deter reporting, especially given that almost all perpetrators are family members or acquaintances.

Also at Reuters and Bloomberg. Editorial at The Indian Express.

Related: Indian Government Attempts to Suppress Rape Documentary


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  • (Score: 4, Insightful) by bzipitidoo on Sunday April 22 2018, @12:46PM (1 child)

    by bzipitidoo (4388) on Sunday April 22 2018, @12:46PM (#670323) Journal

    Yes. Doubt is not the problem. It's that authorities will eventually railroad people they know are innocent. Paint as guilty as Hell some poor innocent bastard that they don't like, rile up the public, and execute him as quickly as possible. They get to look like they're on top of crime, competent and tough. give the impression that they're going to know whodoneit, and that they'll act quickly. And it appeases those among the public screaming for blood. Meantime, the real reason for the rush to execution might be to shield the real perp who might be the spoiled, callous, party animal son of a high ranking official.

    Or if there's no one like that involved who they care to shield, and they have no idea who did it, maybe they use it as opportunity to get rid of some illiterate unemployable bum they'd rather not have around, innocence be damned, frame him and throw him to the dogs, and then they don't have to admit that in that case they never figured out who really did it. One sort in danger of being caught up in such a scheme is anyone who knows too much, maybe has knowledge of some bribery and corruption that would be unbearably embarrassing if it came out. Dead people can't tell what they knew. Appease the public and permanently silence a potential witness or whistleblower. Win-win!

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 22 2018, @07:25PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 22 2018, @07:25PM (#670451)

    Ah yes, the dark side of the legal system. This needs to become a more common mindset, realizing that "the law" is not some magical force for good.