Kejriwal demands death penalty for rape of minors
New Delhi, April 15: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday demanded death penalty for those raping minors and also blasted the BJP for defending its MLA accused of raping a teenager in Uttar Pradesh.
While visiting the Rajghat where Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) Chairperson Swati Maliwal's fast on the same issue entered the third day, Kejriwal said his government was ready to make amendments to the existing law to ensure death penalty to rapists of minors.
He urged the Delhi High Court to inform his government about the number of fast-track courts, judges and money needed for the purpose.
"As soon as the Delhi High Court tells us, we will provide the money. We want women to remain safe in Delhi."
Maliwal launched her protest on Friday in the wake of the horrific rape incidents in Unnao in Uttar Pradesh, for which a BJP MLA has been detained, and in Kathua in Jammu and Kashmir where a girl was abducted, gang-raped and murdered.
Kejriwal said Maliwal wanted death penalty for rapists of minors and that their trial should get over in six months.
"In the next Delhi Assembly session we will bring amendments to the IPC and CrPC that in case of rape of a minor, the rapist must get death penalty and the trial should be completed within six months.
"In the last three years, the Delhi Assembly has brought many legislation but the Centre has not cleared a single of them."
Kejriwal said he came to Rajghat to promote the safety of women in Delhi and elsewhere in the country.
"There should be a system so that nobody dares to rape. I came here to demand a system which ensures women's safety."
He applauded Maliwal for her hunger strike. "I am not here to support her. She is fighting for our safety."
He slammed the Central and Uttar Pradesh governments and police for trying to protect the MLA accused of raping a girl in Unnao.
"What message are we giving to the people? If a BJP MLA or supporter rapes, nothing will happen to him. The whole BJP party, from top to bottom, and whole machinery will protect that person," Kejriwal said.
"In Jammu and Kashmir, an eight-year-old girl was gang-raped inside a temple. They (BJP) say they are Hindus. They are a shame on Hinduism. The rapists have defiled the temple," he added.
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SC to hear on April 28 plea to prohibit sexually explicit content on OTT, social media platforms
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Monday a plea seeking a direction to the Centre to take appropriate steps to prohibit streaming of sexually explicit content on over the top (OTT) and social media platforms.
The plea has sought laying down of guidelines constituting a National Content Control Authority to prohibit sexually explicit content on these platforms.
According to the top court's cause list of April 28, the petition is slated to come up for hearing before a bench of Justices B R Gavai and Augustine George Masih.
The plea claimed there were pages or profiles on social media sites that were disseminating pornographic materials without any filter and various OTT platforms were streaming content that also has potential elements of child pornography.
"Such sexually deviant material pollute the minds of youth, children and even grown up persons which gives rise to perverted and unnatural sexual tendencies thereby leading to an increase in the crime rate," it said.
The plea said if left unchecked, the unregulated spread of obscene material could have severe consequences on societal values, mental health and public safety.
It claimed the petitioners have taken numerous steps by sending representations or complaints to the competent authorities, however, the same have yielded no effective result.
"It is the need of the hour that the state must uphold its constitutional duty to safeguard public morality, protect vulnerable populations, and ensure that the digital space does not become a breeding ground for deviant behaviour," the plea said.
It said affordability and widespread penetration of internet has made explicit materials readily available to users of all ages without any checks.
It has sought a direction to the Centre to stop access to social media and OTT platforms until these platforms formulate a mechanism to ensure that all pornographic content is made inaccessible, especially to children and minors in India.
The plea has urged the top court to constitute a committee headed by a retired apex court judge and consisting of eminent experts in the field to oversee and certify for publishing or streaming contents on OTT and social media platforms on the lines of the Central Board of Film Certification until a law is enacted to regulate it.
It has also sought to constitute an expert committee of reputed psychologists recognised by the Rehabilitation Council of India and other experts to conduct a nationwide study and submit a report to evaluate the adverse impact of sexually explicit content on those consuming such content and its after effects on society at large.
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