Advertisement

We need your help now

Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.

You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.

If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.

Women protesting outside the court where the accused in a gang rape of a 23-year-old woman will be tried. (AP Photo/Saurabh Das)

Indian panel recommends tougher sex crime sentences

India’s sex crime laws were being reviewed following the fatal gang-rape of a student in New Delhi.

A GOVERNMENT PANEL reviewing India’s sex crime laws after the fatal gang-rape of a student in New Delhi proposed tougher jail terms but stopped short of calling for the death sentence.

Gopal Subramanium, a member of the Justice J.S. Verma Commission, said the maximum sentence for gang-rape should be raised to a full life term, meaning convicts must spend the the rest of their lives behind bars.

“In gang-rape cases, life imprisonment should mean the rest of the person’s life,” he told a press conference.

Subramanium also read out recommendations suggesting maximum sentences of seven years for stripping a woman, three years for stalking, four years for groping and seven years for voyeurism, or spying on women.

“We did not recommend the death penalty because we received overwhelming suggestions against it,” said Verma, a former chief justice named by the government on December 24 to head the commission.

India’s 153-year-old penal code currently stipulates rapists should serve a minimum of seven years in prison and a maximum life term – normally commuted to 10-14 years in practice.

Gang-rape convicts face a minimum 10 years and a life term.

The panel was set up amid violent protests and demands for greater protection for women after the fatal assault on a 23-year-old student by six rapists on a moving bus in New Delhi on December 16.

She died of horrific internal injuries caused by her attackers 13 days later, leading to widespread public demands for India to introduce the death penalty for rapists.

Five of her alleged attackers went on trial Monday for gang-rape, murder and other offences and could face the death penalty if convicted of murder.

- © AFP, 2013

Read: Father urges hangings as India gang-rape trial begins >

Author
View 6 comments
Close
6 Comments
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Joanna
    Favourite Joanna
    Report
    Jan 6th 2015, 10:44 AM

    This is what happens when you bring good exclusives to the table *embraces PS4 lovingly*

    48
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Liam Ó Séaghdha
    Favourite Liam Ó Séaghdha
    Report
    Jan 6th 2015, 10:53 AM

    Brilliant device! Much better than Xbox and better exclusives. However the range of games still needs improvement. Big releases like COD Advanced Warfare and Killzone failed to deliver.

    38
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Kieran Ryan
    Favourite Kieran Ryan
    Report
    Jan 6th 2015, 5:37 PM

    You can’t really blame Sony if someone makes a game for it that isn’t good. Didn’t Microsoft buy Call of Duty anyway? Sony can hardly have a say with that obviously

    6
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Derek Mahon
    Favourite Derek Mahon
    Report
    Jan 6th 2015, 12:05 PM

    Now that Sony are making a profit, might we see some investment in their server capacity to stop these DDOS attacks from taking down the system. Lizard Squad repeatedly said Sony and MS’ systems were useless so now with all that money hopefully they’ll invest some of it into the people who made their profits.

    23
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Dave
    Favourite Dave
    Report
    Jan 6th 2015, 12:55 PM

    To my knowledge MS use Cloudflare for such attacks. Sony don’t which is why their service was down for days

    6
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Damien
    Favourite Damien
    Report
    Jan 6th 2015, 3:59 PM

    Your knowledge is wrong.

    7
    See 1 more reply ▾
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Dave
    Favourite Dave
    Report
    Jan 6th 2015, 5:19 PM

    Right or wrong, XBL was back up in 24hrs after the attack. Sony for their size should step it up especially after 2011.

    5
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Live Long
    Favourite Live Long
    Report
    Jan 6th 2015, 11:11 AM

    Xbox rules, PS4 drools!

    22
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Seán A Haon
    Favourite Seán A Haon
    Report
    Jan 6th 2015, 1:17 PM

    18.5 million * €400 = WTF!!!!!

    16
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Joseph Murphy
    Favourite Joseph Murphy
    Report
    Jan 6th 2015, 12:08 PM

    It’s pretty incredible how well it’s selling considering how lackluster the second half of 2014 was for exclusives. The Last of Us Remastered (a last gen game), DriveClub (disastrous broken launch, but now fixed finally) and LittleBigPlanet 3 (sent out to die) the only ones that I can think of. Thank god for 3rd parties! Really looking forward to Bloodbourne in March, though! I think Microsoft must be kicking themselves for the cock up that was E3 2013. All that online only stuff and Kinect disaster drove people away from them in droves and they’re only now recovering.

    It will be an interesting year ahead between the two.

    11
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute CitizenSmith©
    Favourite CitizenSmith©
    Report
    Jan 6th 2015, 10:49 AM

    The play station is a loss leader, they make the money on the games

    8
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute The Doctor
    Favourite The Doctor
    Report
    Jan 6th 2015, 11:00 AM

    No, they are now making a profit on each unit sold.

    46
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Sternn
    Favourite Sternn
    Report
    Jan 6th 2015, 2:36 PM

    Doesn’t beat the Xbox One. I see they glossed over posting how those sales were in comparison…

    4
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Kieran Ryan
    Favourite Kieran Ryan
    Report
    Jan 6th 2015, 5:39 PM

    Yes, how easy it must be to gloss over sales figures that have not even been released

    6
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Cormac Mc Greal
    Favourite Cormac Mc Greal
    Report
    Jan 7th 2015, 1:02 PM

    Tyumen

    1
Submit a report
Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
Thank you for the feedback
Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.