Kolkata: 'Aparajita Woman and Child (West Bengal Criminal Laws Amendment) Bill' was brought in haste, claimed Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari on Tuesday. He said this while participating in a debate on the bill in the Assembly after it was tabled on the floor in the afternoon. The bill seeks the death penalty for convicts in rape and murder cases or in cases of rape where the victim is left in a vegetative state. “We are supporting the Bill. But why did you bring the Bill in haste? We could have asked to send the Bill to the Select Committee. But we want punishment for the culprits. We will listen to what the Chief Minister has to say about the Bill.

We will not seek division on the Bill. But the state government will have to ensure that the bill is made effective at the earliest,” Adhikari said. The bill was tabled by the state Law Minister, Malaya Ghatak, following which the members of the treasury and opposition benches started expressing their views on the matter. The Aparajita bill has been proposed amid the nationwide protests against the rape and murder of a woman doctor of R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. During his speech, the LoP also drew references to similar cases and submitted media reports on such matters. However, the Speaker of the House, Biman Bandopadhyay, said that these documents cannot be accepted without cross-checking their authenticity.

In reply Adhikari said that he has no problem in getting his documents cross-checked since he has come fully prepared in the matter. The final speaker for the debate on the bill is Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Legal experts feel that despite having a smooth sail on the floor of the Assembly, there will be a long way for it to become effective since it will need Presidential assent as it proposes to amend certain provisions in the Central laws on this count. 

(IANS)