President Ram Nath Kovind said: “Rape convicts under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act should not be allowed mercy petition,”
New Delhi: On Friday the President of India, Ram Nath Kovind said on Friday there should be no provision of mercy pleas for rapists of children and that a lot needs to be done to ensure the safety of women, amid outrage over the increasing number of rape in India.
President Kovind also said “demonic” act on women have shaken the country’s conscience while addressing a national convention on ‘Empowerment of Women for Social Transformation’ at the headquarters of the Brahma Kumaris in Rajasthan.
President Ram Nath Kovind said: “Rape convicts under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act should not be allowed mercy petition,”.
“Women’s safety is a very serious issue. A lot of work has been done on this subject but much remains to be done. Incidents of the demonic attack on girls shake the conscience of India,” he added.
He said that a society is based on equality and harmony could only be possible by empowering women.
The Ministry of home affairs has sent a recommendation rejecting the mercy petition filed by one of the convicts in the 2012 Nirbhaya gang- rape and murder case to President Ram Nath Kovind. The file has been forwarded to the President for his consideration and final decision.
The move comes on a day the victim’s family made an emotional appeal for justice following the encounter of four accused in a similar rape case in Hyderabad. It also agrees with a call given by the President to do away with mercy petition in cases involving a sexual assault on minors.
Nirbhaya was gang-raped on December 16, 2012. Later she succumbed to her injuries. The brutality of the rape had rocked the country leading to massive protests.
The rejection of the mercy plea of the Nirbhaya case comes at a time when there is nationwide outrage over the current incident of gang-rape and murder of a 25-year-old victim in Hyderabad.
As an independent media platform, we do not take advertisements from governments and corporate houses. It is you, our readers, who have supported us on our journey to do honest and unbiased journalism. Please contribute, so that we can continue to do the same in future.
