The West Bengal Legislative Assembly has passed the anti-rape bill titled "The Aparajita Woman & Child (West Bengal Criminal Laws Amendment) Bill 2024. The bill, titled the "Aparajita Woman and Child Bill (West Bengal Criminal Laws and Amendment) Bill 2024," aims to create a safer environment for women and children in the state. It reinforces West Bengal's commitment to protecting fundamental rights and ensuring that heinous acts of rape and sexual offenses are met with the full force of the law.
The proposed amendments to the bill, presented by Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, were not accepted by the House. The draft legislation seeks to impose capital punishment on individuals convicted of rape if their actions result in the victim's death or leave her in a vegetative state.
Calling it "historic" and a "model," Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee described the bill as a tribute to the 31-year-old trainee doctor who was raped and murdered at the government-run RG Kar Medical Centre and Hospital last month.
In the wake of the rape-murder of a trainee doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9, the West Bengal government tabled the anti-rape bill on Tuesday during a two-day special session of the Bengal Assembly and passed it.