Death penalty for child rape: Cabinet to bring new law

New Delhi : Amid nationwide outrage over sexual violence against young girls, the Cabinet has decided to bring the death penalty for raping a minor. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is returning from his five-day UK visit, will be chairing a meeting on Saturday.

Massive protests were lodged all across the nation after rape of a young girl in Kathua and Uttar Pradesh's Unnao. A major protest was targeted against leaders of the ruling BJP who were seen to be protecting the rapists in both cases.

Union Minister Maneka Gandhi last week released a video message, claiming her intentions to bring in death penalty for child rapists.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also got called out by the International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde on Thursday. She called the gang rape and murder of the eight-year-old girl in Kathua "revolting" and hoped "Indian authorities, starting with Prime Minister Modi pay more attention" to the condition of women.

As per current law, minimum punishment is a jail term of seven years and a maximum is a jail term for remainder life of convict's life.

According to statistics compiled by the crime records bureau, the courts convict only 3-4 out of every 10 men charged with child rape. The rest are back on the streets, sooner or later.