The Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2013, passed against the backdrop of the country-wide outrage over Delhi gang-rape and murder of a 23-year-old paramedical student, 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.
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 and with a fine. It has provisions for handing out death sentence to offenders who may have been convicted earlier for such crimes. The law, for the first time, defines stalking and voyeurism as non-bailable offences. If repeated for a second time perpetrators of acid attack will attract a 10-year jail.
In spite of the law providing enhanced punishment against a sexual crime like rape there have been three major sexual crimes in North Goa. The brutal rape of a woman at Camurlim, the Light House Charity rape of a minor at Thivim and the barbaric rape of a mother-in-law and sister-in-law and the repeated torture of his wife by a man in our state has tarnished the image of our beautiful Goa.
Whenever, a barbaric sexual crime is committed against the women in Goa, the law enforcement authorities in our state are woken up from their long spell of sleep and are virtually forced to register the FIR by the Goa’s leading English daily “Herald”.
The demon Kumbhakarna could create ‘rain of fire’ engulfing the enemy. To this, Ram replied by pouring rain of water to put off the fire. Kumbhakarna poured ‘rain of stones’, and Ram countered by appropriate protective cover. At last Ram attacked the demon with his most powerful arrow. This hit the mighty Kumbhakarna at his vital centre that led to his downfall.
The women in Goa need to be protected from the rain of fire in the form of the violent sexual crimes and torture. Those committing the brutal sexual crimes need to be punished as per The Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2013. The time has come for the Chief Minister who is also the Home Minister of our state Manohar Parrikar to play the role of Ram and counter the crimes committed by sex maniacs, by appropriate protective cover for the women in Goa with the help of the law enforcement agencies like the police. The Goa Police needs to act firmly and quickly in all sexual crimes like the way it acted in the sexual assault case involving a leading journalist and leave nothing to chance and protect the women in Goa.
(The writer is a law student)
