Cabinet makes child rapes punishable with death

The Union Cabinet has cleared a law which prescribes capital punishment to those convicted of raping children below the age of 12. The move to seek death penalty in rape cases in which children are the victims comes in the wake of a nation-wide outrage post the Kathua and Unnao rape cases.

On Friday three more such instances were reported from Uttar Pradesh, Chattisgarh and Odisha. The Cabinet has decided to take up this matter on an urgent basis since the Parliament is not in session. There is an urgency involved and hence the Cabinet is meeting on Saturday to amend the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POSCO) Act, officials said.