Death penalty for child rapists: Ordinance draws mixed reactions

President Ram Nath Kovind on April 22 signed an ordinance paving the way for providing stringent punishment, including death penalty, for those convicted of raping girls below the age of 12 years. The Union Cabinet brought the ordinance a day earlier in response to national outrage over the Kathua and Unnao rape cases. Reactions to the ordinance have been varied. Many have welcomed it, some say death penalty should be for all, irrespective of the age of the victim. But some others including child rights activists have opposed the punishment.