Aimed at making punishment for sexual offences against women more stringent and act as a deterrent, the DMK government of MK Stalin Friday introduced two new Bills in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, of which one is an amendment to the BNS and BNSS in their applicability to the state.
This comes in the backdrop of the DMK government drawing flak from the opposition over the sexual assault of a girl student of the prestigious Anna University in the city on December last. Tabling the two Bills in the House, the Chief Minister said, “Sexual assault against women is a heinous crime which cannot be condoned and the punishment for them should be so severe that it should act as a deterrent. It had to be made more stringent to prevent such crimes, and the proposed amendments are aimed at that and would cover offences committed through digital and electronic means. The government is committed to empowering women and ensuring their safety.”
Advertisement
For enhancing the quantum of punishments for crimes against women and children in the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS), it is necessary and certain provisions pertaining to bail in the Bhartiya Nyay Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) had to be made more stringent, the House was told. Hence, amendments to the two Central Acts had been tabled.
The other Bill is an amendment to the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act, 1998, which enlarges the scope of the principal Act to effectively deal with digital and electronic harassment besides stalking with stringent penalties. As per the proposed amendments, punishment for rape might extend up to a life term and for acid attacks it is 10 years RI. While it is 5 years RI for stalking, capital punishment is for repeat offenders of rape. Both the Bills would be taken up in the ongoing session itself.
Following the Anna University horror, the DMK government was under attack on women’s safety and on the law-and-order front with the opposition parties viz, the AIADMK, PMK and the BJP besides student bodies holding protests across the state.
