After the outrage over the brutal murder of a Kolkata medic, the West Bengal assembly in India passed a bill mandating the death penalty in cases of sexual assault and murder.
According to Hindustan Times, the West Bengal Assembly on Tuesday, September 3, unanimously passed the anti-sexual assault bill introduced by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
The Aparajita Woman and Child (West Bengal Criminal Laws Amendment) 2024 Bill demands to change several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
The bill proposed lifetime imprisonment and the death penalty for people convicted of sexual assault, group sexual assault, acid attack, and repeat offenders.
Moreover, the bill also suggested changes in the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, in various sections to speed trials and improve the justice system.
Banerjee told the assembly, “We wanted the Centre to amend its existing laws and include stricter clauses to ensure exemplary punishment for perpetrators and quicker justice to victims.”
She further added, “This bill, once enacted, can serve as a model for the rest of the country.”
The bill will now go to the Governor of West Bengal, C. V. Ananda Bose, who is expected to sign the bill into law.
