Oct 10 2022 to Oct 10 2022 6:30 p.m.

EVENT HAS ENDED

Where

Bangalore International Centre

7 4th Main Rd, Stage 2, Domlur 560071

Event Description

India has seen a consistent legislative expansion of the death penalty for sexual offences beginning with the amendments in 2013. In the aftermath of the Delhi gang rape case, a three-member committee under the chairmanship of Retired Justice Verma was constituted to suggest amendments to the rape law. While the Verma Committee took a clear stand against the death penalty, Criminal Law Amendment Act of 2013 introduced death penalty as a possible punishment for repeat sexual offenders and for rape resulting in death or vegetative condition of the victim. More recently, in 2018, incidents of violent child rape and murder in Kathua and Unnao, led to inclusion of death sentence for the first time for rape (without murder) of girls below the age of 12 years. This was followed by the amended in the Protection of Children Against Sexual Offences Act, in 2019 where the death penalty was introduced for penetrative sexual assault of children below the age of 18 years. In this backdrop, Project 39A, National Law University in collaboration with the Bangalore International Centre is organising a panel discussion on sexual violence and the death penalty on October 10th 2022, i.e. the World Day Against the Death Penalty. The panel comprises a child rights activist, a women’s rights activist, a former senior law enforcement officer and an expert on issues relating to the administration of the death penalty in India. The focus of the discussion will be the effectiveness of the death penalty as a response to sexual violence while locating it within the needs of the survivors. The discussion will also explore conceptions of justice for the survivors and the place of punitive justice within that framework.