NEW DELHI, Dec 31:
Opposition parties today stepped up pressure for tougher laws on crime against women but the Government made it clear that the demand for convening a special session of Parliament for this purpose can be taken up only after the Justice Verma Committee gives its report.
Even as protesters continued demanding stringent punishment to the accused in the gang-rape of the 23-year-old girl, Delhi Government announced financial aid of Rs 15 lakh for the next of the kin of the victim and offered a job to a family member of the girl, who died two days ago.
The decisions were taken at a Cabinet meeting presided over by Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit.
Delhi Police has finalised around 1000-page charge sheet against the accused in the case and is likely to place it before the trial court on January 3.
A day after the cremation of the rape victim, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj said she had asked Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh to immediately call for a special Parliament session to examine the existing laws regarding rape as there is no scope of giving death penalty in such cases.
“We feel that if a murder takes place after kidnap and rape, then death penalty should be the only punishment. But my demand of special session was rejected by Home Minister. Then we demanded an all-party meeting to discuss the security of women but that was also rejected,” she said.
Swaraj, who was addressing a condolence meeting organised by Delhi BJP here to pay tribute to the rape victim who died in a Singapore hospital on Saturday, also demanded that such cases should be moved only to fast track courts and within six months they should be decided.
On its part, Government said here that a special session will make sense after it receives the report of the three-member committee, headed by Justice J S Verma, former Chief Justice of India.
“We have appointed the Justice Verma Committee to recommend to the Government what changes should be made in the law. Therefore, a special session or a session of Parliament makes sense only when the report is received by the Government…So let us first get the report and then we can examine when the session of Parliament should be,” Finance Minister P Chidambaram told reporters here.
The Verma Committee has sought suggestions from individuals, NGOs, women’s groups and others by the first week of January. The panel, set up by the Government on December 23, has been given 30 days to submit its report.
As a step in this direction, Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde is writing letters to all political parties seeking their suggestions on the issue of changing the law pertaining to rape.
Sources said Shinde will ask the political parties to send their suggestions on the matter to the Justice Verma Committee.
The committee will look into possible amendments to the criminal law to provide quicker trial and enhanced punishment for criminals accused of committing sexual assault of extreme nature against women.
The other members of the committee are Justice (retd) Leila Seth, former Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh High Court, and former Solicitor General of India Gopal Subramanian.
Under the existing law, the maximum punishment for rape is life term but the nationwide outrage over the December 16 gang-rape of the physiotherapy student in a moving bus here has sparked a demand for death penalty to rapists.
Chidambaram said a special session is mainly for passing a law. “We have to pass a more effective law both for apprehending people and punishing people and for the procedural aspects,” he said.
Minister of State for Home RPN Singh said the Government was awaiting the report of Verma Committee before taking any decision on convening an all-party meeting to discuss the rape law issue.
The CPI(M) said a special session of Parliament to bring about stringent anti-rape laws would not mean anything till the sexual harrassment bill, passed by Lok Sabha, was adopted by the Upper House.
“We raised this (passage of the bill in Rajya Sabha) in Parliament too as it is held up. It has been passed in the Lok Sabha but yet to be brought to the Rajya Sabha,” senior CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury told reporters here when his comment was sought on the demand for a special session for the purpose.
Swaraj said there should be no provision for convicts, sentenced to death in rape-cum-murder cases, to file a mercy petition.
“The culprits be hanged and the Government should not accept any mercy petitions in such cases. If this can be done then this will be the only respect to that victim,” she said while referring to five cases of rape-cum-murders in which the UPA Government, she said, had granted pardon to convicts.
“The trial of rape cases should be completed within six months and capital punishment be given in cases of rape and murder,” she demanded.
Swaraj said as they have not called the special session of Parliament, “we will utilise the budget session of Parliament.”
“It is an urgent need that there is an examination of all the laws regarding women this year (2013). There should be severe punishment for violence against women,” the BJP leader said.
In Kochi, senior BJP leader Venkiah Naidu said, “There should be maximum punishment to the rapists, death penalty or emasculation (chemical castration of the rapist).” (PTI)
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