Chennai:The Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly on Friday passed two amendments to curb crimes against women, including provisions for the death penalty for repeated sexual offenders. These changes involve the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhit (BNS) Act and the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment to Women Act, of 1998, both of which were amended to introduce stricter punishments and penalties.
The amendments were passed unanimously by the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly to take stronger measures to protect women.
Section 64 (1) now mandates a minimum of 14 years of rigorous imprisonment for certain sexual offences, with a punishment of not less than 10 years for sexual assault. If a convict's sentence is extended to life, they will be required to serve the term until they die naturally.
Section 65 (2) introduces a harsh penalty for offences involving girls under the age of 12, stipulating rigorous imprisonment for no less than 20 years or life imprisonment, with the possibility of a death sentence in extreme cases.
Section 70 (2) deals with gang sexual offences involving girls under 18 years, setting the punishment at life imprisonment, with a fine and the option of a death sentence.
Section 71 introduces the death penalty or life imprisonment for repeated sexual offences.
Section 72(1) specifies that disclosing the identity of a sexual assault victim will lead to imprisonment for three to five years. Meanwhile, Section 77 extends the penalty for stalking with sexual intent, carrying a prison term of two to five years.
In cases under the amended sections, the accused will be denied bail, underscoring the government's commitment to swift justice. The amendments to the Prohibition of Harassment to Women Act, 1998, now define harassment broadly to include physical, verbal, non-verbal, tactile, electronic or any other means of harassment. Section 4 of the Act has been revised to increase penalties. Offenders may face up to five years in prison and fines starting from Rs one lakh, which was earlier Rs 10,000. Repeat offenders will face a minimum sentence of five years which can be up to Rs ten lakh.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin said that these steps are part of the government's ongoing efforts to ensure the safety of women. He also said that in 86 per cent of cases involving crimes against women, charge sheets have been filed within 60 days.
