Headline: West Bengal Passes Aparajita Bill: Capital Punishment for Rape, Swift Investigations
The West Bengal Assembly has passed the Aparajita Bill, formally known as the West Bengal Criminal Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which seeks capital punishment for rape convicts if the assault leads to the death of the victim or leaves them in a vegetative state. Introduced in response to the recent rape and murder of a junior doctor in Kolkata, the bill mandates that investigations into rape cases be led by a woman officer and completed within 21 days of the initial report. The ruling TMC hailed the bill as historic, while the BJP criticized it.
