New Delhi,18th March: An all-party meet scheduled once again at 12:30 pm on Monday, after the first meet was ended inconclusively in the Monday morning with the DMK, TDP, RJD and BJP failing to turn up for the same.
The Parliamentary Affairs Minister said that divergent views had emerged over the age of consent. He added that some parties feared that the bill would be misused and thus they wanted safeguards before the bill was passed.
The UPA government is hopeful of evolving a consensus on the all crucial bill. The Bhartiya Janata Party and the Samjwadi party have expressed reservations over certain aspects of the legislation.
The SP is opposed to the bill, particularly the clause on lowering the age for consensual sex from 18 to 16 years.
The BJP leader Najma Heptulla had said, “If a person below 18 is a juvenile and is given relaxed punishments because he is not mature enough to know the consequences of what he is doing, how is a child of 16 mature enough to consent to sexual activity?”
The Bahujan Samaj Party supported the government and said the controversial provisions of the bill could be discussed in Parliament.
“Our party will support the anti-rape bill being brought by the Central government in any form and shape,” BSP chief Mayawati said to reporters.
The final draft of the anti-rape bill was cleared by the Union Cabinet last week. Group of Ministers headed by Finance Minister P Chidambaram recommended, among other things, lowering of age of consent for sex from 18 to 16 years.
A stricter punishment for offences like stalking was included in the bill. Sustained stalking was made non-bailable offence.
The need for a stronger bill emerged after the brutal gang-rape of a 23-year old girl in a moving bus in the national capital.
The Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2013, will replace the ordinance promulgated by President Pranab Mukherjee Feb 3.
It has to be passed by April 4, within six weeks from Feb 21, when parliament’s budget session started.
Bureau
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