INDIA

Maharashtra Cabinet Proposed ‘Shakti Act: Death Penalty For Rape

Mumbai: The Maharashtra cabinet has approved draft bills to strengthen the law for the prevention of atrocities against women, children, while the “Powers Act” envisages the death penalty for rape, acid attack, and child abuse and the period of investigation in these heinous crimes has been reduced to 15 working days.

Special courts and machinery for the implementation of the Maharashtra Shakti Criminal Law (Maharashtra Amendment) Act, 2020 and the Maharashtra Shakti Criminal Law, 2020 will be introduced in both houses during the winter session of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly and Council.

Abuse and defamation of women on social media, filing fake complaints about rape, molestation and acid attacks, non-cooperation of investigators or public servants with social media, the Internet and mobile service providers, and prohibiting on publicising the names of rape/molestation/acid attack victims, are the new offences included in the proposed Shakti Act.

The act also proposes capital punishment for rape, acid attack, and child abuse, while the punishment period extends to some specific crimes against women and children.

In cases of the acid attack, a penalty is also proposed and this amount will be used to treat the victims.

To strictly implement all these proposals in the new bills, some changes are also proposed in the Criminal Procedure Code.

According to the proposal, the investigation period has been reduced from two months to 15 working days, the trial period has been reduced from two months to 30 working days, and the appeal period has been reduced from six months to 45 days.

The Powers Act also proposed the establishment of 36 special courts with a special public prosecutor for cases of heinous crimes against women and children.

It proposed a special squad with at least one female officer in each commissioner or district to investigate crimes against women and children.

The law also plans to notify some organizations to assist and assist in the rehabilitation of victims of these cases.

A committee led by Home Minister Anil Deshmukh visited Andhra Pradesh to study law. After the committee submitted its report, IPS Asavati Dorje, another committee headed by Director Police Training College Nashik, was tasked with drafting the Act.

(With Agency Inputs)

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