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IANS
New Delhi
The Central government on Friday told the Supreme Court that it is proposing the death penalty for those convicted of raping children below the age of 12.
The proposal has come in the backdrop of nationwide outrage over the rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl in Kathua in J&K, and sexual assault of a teenager in Unnao in UP.
A bench headed by Chief Justice Deepak Misra was told by the Ministry of Women and Child Development that it is"proposing"to amend the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act for introducing"death penalty"to the convicts of child rape.
The letter written to Additional Solicitor General (ASG) PS Narasimha by Women and Child Development Ministry Deputy Secretary Anand Prakash, said the government is"sensitive to the plight of young children"brutally abused in the most horrific manner.
