New Delhi, April 20: The Centre in a letter to the Supreme Court has stated that it has started the process of amending the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act which would have the maximum punishment of a death statement for rapists of children aged 12 or below it as reported by news agency ANI. Here are some highlights of the letter and what led to it:

  • Centre submitted its report while responding to a PIL filed by Advocate Alakh Alok Srivastava, seeking maximum sentence of death penalty to those offenders involved in the rape and brutal murder of children between the age group of 0 to 12.

  • The apex court three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dipak Misra and comprising of Justices AM Khanwilkar and DY Chandrachud, fixed the matter for further hearing to April 27.

  • In wake of the gang-rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district, Union Minister for Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi had said that her ministry intends to amend the POCSO to make provision for death penalty in such cases.

There has been a strong demand for death penalty for rapists and especially for those who are accused of raping minors and children. The outrage after the Kathua gangrape and murder case and Unnao rape case has forced the government to sit up and take notice of the rage and as evident in the letter to the Supreme Court, the Centre is planning to incorporate death penalty under POCSO Act.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 20, 2018 05:14 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).