Supreme Court asks Parliament to consider stringent punishment for child abuse convicts

New Delhi: Advocating harsh punishment for those involved in child abuse, the Supreme Court on Monday asked Parliament to consider amending laws for such cases.

Hearing a petition seeking castration of child abuse convicts, the court said Parliament may consider more stringent punishment in cases where the rape victim is a child.

The court also asked Parliament to think of redefining the term “child” in context of rape.

The petition was filed by the Supreme Court Women Lawyers Association (SCWLA), which argued that only castration can act as an effective deterrent against sexual crimes against children.

The court clarified that the observations made by it are only suggestions and the Central government is at liberty to accept or reject them.

During the hearing on the plea, the court also said, “Law already exists for such cases... how can we ask Parliament to make a new law?