UPA govt views rape as heinous crime, says Congress MP

The UPA government has taken a tough stand against rape or any kind of dishonour to women and India's new criminal law is among the toughest in the world, an Indian Parliamentarian said today.
Addressing a meeting of Indian National Overseas Congress here, MP J M Haroon Rasheed said that with an aim of providing a strong deterrent against crimes like rapes, the new law states that an offender can be sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than 20 years, but which may extend to life, meaning imprisonment for the remainder of the convict's natural life.

Haroon, a member of Standing Committee on Home Affairs that helped prepare the draft amendments to anti-rape bill, assured the Non-Resident Indians that special courts will be created soon and such cases will be disposed off within 60 days.
"The UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi is of the strong view that Indian women should remain safe and such unfortunate incidents should not make a dent on the image of India abroad when the country's progress and growth rate is getting the praise of world leaders," he said.
Also, India is among the few countries where women are worshipped and revered and unfortunate incidence of rape would be put down with an iron hand. The new law has provisions for handing out death sentence to offenders and also to offenders who may have been convicted earlier for such crimes, he said.

Haroon, who represents Theni in Tamil Nadu, said the law amends various sections of the Indian Penal Code, the Code of Criminal Procedure, the Indian Evidence Act and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.

The law, for the first time, defines stalking and voyeurism as non-bailable offences if repeated for a second time. Also perpetrators of acid attack will attract a 10-year jail, he said.
George Abraham, president of Indian National Overseas Congress and Tom Suozzi, former Nassau County Executive, presented Haroon with Rajiv Gandhi Lifetime Award for Public Service instituted by the Indian National Overseas Congress, USA.

Haroon also visited the United Nations headquarters in New York and met with officials and Indians working in the world body.