Hyderabad: If a draft bill becomes the law in Andhra Pradesh, convicts of rape will get capital punishment in the state.
The bill cleared by the state cabinet and moved in the state assembly also provides for completing the trial in the cases of crime against women with in 21 days and hanging the convicts till death.
AP Criminal Law (amendment) Bill 2019, also known as “Disha Act”, was drafted in the backdrop of the horror crime in neighbouring Telangana in which a lady veterinary doctor was abducted, gang raped, killed and her body was burnt.
Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy who took keen interest in the drafting of the new piece of legislation had extended his full support to the government and the police of Telangana on the killing of the four accused in an encounter.
The state cabinet also approved the draft of AP Special Court for Specified Offences Against Women and Children Act 2019 to set up fast track courts in all the districts to expeditiously hear the cases of crimes against women.
In another move, reflecting the public anger in general against rising crimes against women, the state government was planning to amend the section 354 of Indian Penal Code and incorporate a new section making it a crime to post anything on social media that may be seen as an insult to women.
Such crimes will be punishable with 2 year jail term and in case of repeating the offence the convict will be awarded four years of rigorous imprisonment.
Similarly the state government intends to deal with the crimes against minors with an iron hand. The punishment for such crimes has been increased from 3 to five years to 10 to 14 years depending upon the severity of crime.
Officials said that under the proposed law, police will have to complete the investigation into crime against women with in a week and trial in a fast track court will have to be completed in two weeks if the accused are caught red-handed with evidence establishing their guilt beyond any reasonable doubt.
