Any sexual offence against children under the age of 12 years will now be punished by death. The Prime Minister along with the cabinet approved the changes in POCSO Act after a discussion which lasted for nearly two hours. An ordinance was passed on Saturday after the entire nation voiced their opinions and demanded justice for the children who fell victims to the heinous crime from different parts of the country.
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The Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act was introduced in 2011 in the Parliament and was passed in May 2012. Earlier, child sexual abuse was prosecuted under the Indian Penal Code of 354 (Outraging the modesty of a woman), 375(Rape), 377(Unnatural Offences).
As defined in the Act, any person under the age of 18 is a child. According to existing provisions of POCSO, the maximum punishment for the culprits is imprisonment for life and a minimum punishment of seven years.
The ordinance will now have to be approved in the Parliament within the next six months.