The Narendra Modi government has raised multiple objections to the Aparajita Bill, which was passed by the Bengal Assembly last year, seeking capital punishment for rapists through amendments to the existing Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
A source in Raj Bhavan said after receiving communication from the Union home ministry, governor C.V. Ananda Bose has sent the bill back to the state government for reconsideration.
“As soon as the objections were received at the governor’s office, they were forwarded to the state government for consideration,” said a source in Raj Bhavan.
The Bengal Assembly had unanimously passed the Aparajita Women and Child (West Bengal Criminal Laws Amendment) Bill on September 3, 2024. The bill was introduced in the wake of the rape and the murder of the junior doctor at R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9 last year.
The state government proposed speedy trials of such cases in fast-track courts, along with the provision of the death penalty for the accused.
A source said the Centre had raised objections, stating that the bill sought to “amend” multiple sections related to rape under the BNS and that the proposed penalties were “excessively harsh and disproportionate”.
“I have heard that the bill was returned. But till this evening, nothing related to this reached Nabanna. If we get the file back, we will decide on the next course of action,” said a senior bureaucrat at Nabanna.
A source in the Trinamool Congress said the Centre’s objections would serve as a political weapon for the ruling party, as it would appear that the BJP government was opposing speedy trials and capital punishment for rape accused. Trinamool has also planned to pitch the objection to the Aparajita Bill as an issue ahead of next year’s Assembly polls.
“We have heard that the Centre has raised objections to the Aparajita Bill. If this is true, it proves that the BJP does not want rapists to receive the death penalty. We have also learned that they objected because the death penalty is excessively harsh. This is because the BJP protects rapists,” said Trinamool leader Kunal Ghosh.
Bengal had witnessed widespread public protests following the RG Kar incident, which was considered the first major crisis Mamata Banerjee faced since she took charge as the chief minister in 2011.
Candlelight vigils and demonstrations were held across the state for increased protection of women.