New Delhi: In a swift and resolute response to the horrific rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, the West Bengal Assembly will commence a special two-day session Monday, to pass a Bill proposing capital punishment for convicts in rape and murder cases.
The decision to call this special session was cleared on August 28 during the state committee meeting chaired by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee following the outrage that followed the RG Kar crime incident. Banerjee has vowed to ensure swift and severe justice for such heinous acts. She has announced that the amended law will be passed in the session to ensure capital punishment for convicted rapists.
West Bengal government is already facing criticism over the handling of the case and the subsequent nationwide protests demanding justice and safeguarding the safety of its citizens.
The Bill, slated for discussion and passage on September 3, the second day of the session, is expected to be expedited, Assembly Speaker Biman Banerjee confirmed the timeline to the news agency PTI.
West Bengal CM has even threatened to stage a sit-in protest outside Raj Bhavan if the Governor delays in giving his approval to the amended Bill or forwards it to the President for ratification.
Since the police recovered the body of the woman’s postgraduate trainee doctor from the seminar hall of the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9, the West Bengal government and the police have come under fire over the incident which was followed by nationwide protests.
“The current provisions of justice and punishment in the BNS are long drawn. We want to complete that process in a time-bound manner,” West Bengal minister Sovandeb Chattopadhyay told PTI, adding that the Bill, once passed, would be sent to the Governor for his assent.
The special session is convened outside the usual legislative calendar as the monsoon session of the West Bengal assembly was prorogued on August 5. “Since the session was prorogued and not adjourned sine die, we do not need the Governor’s permission to reconvene the House,” Chattopadhyay said.