The Justice JS Verma committee, which was set up to amend criminal law to provide quicker trial and enhance punishment for offenders of crime against women, submitted its report to the home ministry on Wednesday with more stringent penalty but ignored a few key suggestions by the public.
The three-member committee headed by former chief justice JS Verma received more than 80,000 responses after the Home Ministry made a public notice inviting suggestions to prevent crimes against women, from across India.
In its 630-page report to the government, the committee criticized the government, police insensitivity and gender bias for the rising crimes against women in the country. It also created some offences like disrobing a woman, voyeurism, stalking and trafficking but missed out a few key demands suggested by political leaders, social activists and the public.
Here are the key suggestions that JS Verma Committee ignored:
1) Enraged by the growing rape cases in the country and the recent brutal Delhi gang-rape incident that took away the life of a 23-year-old medical student, politicians, activists, leaders and the public alike demanded death sentence for rapist. However, JS Verma Committee refrained from using the term death penalty.
2) Many suggested chemical castration of rapists but the committee overlooked it, arguing that the constitution of the country doesn't allow mutilation of human body.
3) Another suggestion was to lower the age of a juvenile from 18 to 16. Indian lawmakers openly spoke in favour lowering juvenile age after one of the six accused in the Delhi gang-rape case, who claimed to be 17 years old, was found most to be the most brutal. However, the committee is not in favour of lowering juvenile age.
The Justice JS Verma committee recommended harsh punishment for rapists instead of severest punishment like death penalty and and chemical castration. It recommended 20 years imprisonment for gang-rape and life imprisonment for rape and murder.
