In the midst of the increasing number of rape cases, the voices demanding the death penalty for rape are becoming stronger with every passing day. Recently, the Karnataka High Court has shared that it is in favor of capital punishment in gang rape cases.
While clearly calling out how gangrape is more dangerous than murder, the Karnataka High Court has recommended the death penalty for gang-rape. This is in addition to the existing provisions of life imprisonment with a fine.
The court made this welcoming recommendation while upholding the life sentence imposed on 7 accused, who gang-raped a student of the National Law School of India University (NLSIU) Bangalore in 2012.
For further amendments to provisions of IPC Section 376D which deal with gang rape, a division bench of Justices B Veerappa and K Natarajan made this recommendation to the Legislature/Central Government. While making the recommendation, the court said:
“We hereby recommend the Legislature/Central Government to further amend the provisions of Section 376D of Indian Penal Code – Gang rape into capital punishment in addition to the existing provision for imprisonment of life and with fine on par with the provisions of Section 376AB and 376DB of Indian Penal Code keeping in view of definition of ‘Woman’ under Section 10 of Indian Penal Code in order to curb the menace of ‘gang rape’ in the society at large,”
The court further added:
“Rape is not only an offence against victim girl but a crime against the entire society.”
This inspiring recommendation came in light pertaining to the gang rape of a law student, who came from Nepal to Bengaluru for studies. She was sexually assaulted by the accused named Ramu, Shivanna, Maddura, Eleyaiah, Eeraiah, Ramu and Dodda Eeraiah.
They raped the victim after her friend dropped her off at her hostel near Gandhi Bhavan on the Bangalore University campus, around 9:00 pm on October 13, 2012. While rejecting their plea for leniency, the court said their actions brought disrepute to Karnataka as well as to India. The court said:
“Since the reputation of the country is at stake, no lenience can be shown to the accused persons,”
At IFORHER, we welcome this inspiring change as gang-rape is an offense worse than murder that many young women and kids become victims of!