Ordinances on child rape, rich fugitives cleared

Tribune News Service & PTI

New Delhi, April 22

President Ram Nath Kovind on Sunday approved an ordinance providing death penalty for those convicted of raping girls below age 12 years, besides clearing another ordinance to confiscate property of fugitive economic offenders.

The President promulgated The Criminal Law (Amendment) Ordinance, 2018, approved by the Union Cabinet on Saturday that seeks to provide effective deterrence against rape and instil a sense of security among women, particularly young girls.

There was outrage over the rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl in Kathua in J-K  and similar crimes in other parts of the country.  The ordinance stipulates stringent penalty for perpetrators of rape, particularly of girls below 16 and 12 years. Death sentence has been provided for rapists of girls under 12 years. 

The minimum punishment in case of rape of women has been increased from rigorous imprisonment of seven years to 10 years, extendable to life imprisonment.

Following the President’s approval, the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO), The Indian Penal Code (IPC) and The Evidence Act stand amended.

Similarly, the President gave his assent to Cabinet’s decision to promulgate the Fugitive Economic Offenders Ordinance, 2018, which lays down measures to empower authorities to attach and confiscate proceeds of crime associated with economic offenders, including scamsters and loan defaulters, who flee the country. Through the ordinance, the government has tried to ensure that Nirav Modi-like cases do not take place while the Bill is pending in Parliament. With investigating agencies taking up several bank scam-related cases, issuing the ordinance is seen as a deterrent.

The law is aimed at quickly recovering losses to exchequer or public sector banks in cases of frauds. It allows confiscation of properties of economic offenders and thereby deter them from evading the law by remaining outside the jurisdiction of Indian courts.