Shah said, “Crime against women and many social problems faced by them have been resolved in this bill. The promise of marriage, employment, promotion and making relations with women under the guise of false identity will come under the category of crime for the first time. Sometimes there are reports that some people who cast evil eye on women’s body deal with their helplessness. He is tempted that if he has a physical relationship, he will give a job. If there is a job, then they give the lure of promotion. Now, if under the guise of such false promises, he makes a connection with a woman, then he can be punished for up to 10 years.
Courts deal with cases of women claiming rape on the pretext of marriage, but there is no specific provision for this in the IPC. The bill will now be examined by a standing committee.
The Bill states, ‘Whoever, by fraud or without intent to marry a woman, has sexual intercourse with a woman, such sexual intercourse not amounting to the offense of rape, But now it will be punished with imprisonment of up to 10 years and fine can also be imposed.
Senior criminal lawyer Shilpi Jain said that this provision was long overdue and due to absence of such provision, the cases were not treated as offenses and many interpretations were open from both sides.
Jain told Bhasha that some people believe that the specific provision of ‘marrying under cover of identity’ is being targeted in cases of inter-faith marriages under false names. He said that the main thing here is that the consent of the victim taken with the help of a liar cannot be called voluntary.
Jain claimed, “Women are being exploited in our country by men who make them have sex by promising to marry them and if the men had no intention of marrying at the time of making the promise, then it is a crime.” ‘
Jain, however, said that linking false promise of marriage with the promise of employment or promotion in this provision may not be the right way forward.
In the proposed bill, provision has been made for punishment of three to seven years for the crime of eavesdropping.
The Home Minister said that these changes have been introduced to provide speedy justice and to create a legal system keeping in mind the contemporary needs and aspirations of the people.
“In all cases of gang rape, the punishment will be from 20 years to life imprisonment. Death penalty has been prescribed for rape of girls below 18 years of age.
The Bill states that the offense of murder shall be punishable with death or imprisonment for life.
According to the Bill, if rape of a woman results in death or renders the woman in a near-death condition, the offender shall be punished with rigorous imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than 20 years and may extend to imprisonment for life May go.
According to the Bill, those convicted of raping a girl child below the age of 12 years shall be punished with rigorous imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than 20 years and may extend to imprisonment for the rest of the person’s life.
