The Union Cabinet, today, approved an ordinance to ensure death penalty to those convicted in raping children up to the age of 12. The government will amend the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) and the bill will be presented in the next session of the Parliament.
The Central government had informed the Supreme Court that they were seriously considering ways to amend the POCSO act but the sudden move comes in the wake of a string of rape cases and murder of children in the country.
Additional Solicitor General P.S. Narasimha informed the court of the government's plan when the Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra was ready to consider the PIL over the attack of an 8-year-old girl.
