Baby Chakraborty:– The bill introduced in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly to make death penalty as punishment for rape has been unanimously passed. The Aparajita Women and Child Bill 2024 (West Bengal Criminal Laws Amendment Bill 2024) was passed on the initiative of the government led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday. Through this, West Bengal is the first state in India, which has taken the initiative to amend the central law against rape, gang rape and sexual abuse of children. Recently, the initiative to pass the bill was based on the incident of rape and murder of a female doctor at RG Kar Hospital in Kolkata, West Bengal. The bill will now be sent to Governor CV Anand Bose for assent. It will be sent to the President of India Draupadi Murmu after he gives his approval. If approved by the President, it will become a law. In a special session of the state assembly in West Bengal today, the state law minister Malay Ghatak introduced the bill making provision for death penalty as punishment for rape. It was then discussed in the assembly. According to a report in the Times of India, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee requested the Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly, Subvendu Adhikari, to urge the Governor to approve the bill. Mamata said, “We have tried to close the loopholes in the central law through this bill.” Rape is a curse against humanity. Social reforms are needed to prevent such crimes.
The state BJP has already welcomed the bill. Speaking in the Assembly today, Leader of Opposition in the state Subhendu Adhikari said that he has brought seven amendments. He also wants this bill to be passed. Let it become law. After the discussion, Shuvendu Adhikari raised slogans demanding justice in the RG Kar case.
