After West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said a new law should be enacted against rape and murder, the state legislative assembly started preparing for a special session to do so on next Monday and Tuesday.

While this comes in the wake of protests against the rape and murder of a doctor at RG Kar Medical Hospital, the details of the proposed bill are not yet clear.

A senior official of the state government said, “We already have one law against rape and murder which also has a provision for capital punishment. We are trying to bring a separate law which will only have provisions for capital punishment. And all rape cases should be trialled in a fast track court. Every culprit of rape, if found guilty, will be hanged.”

However, the official said he was unsure if the state is eligible to propose such a bill and whether the Central government would clear it.

BJP Rajya Sabha MP Samik Bhattacharya said, “Any state legislative assembly can’t bring such a bill. They can only urge or request the Central Government. This is not only detrimental to the Indian Constitution, they are also challenging the authority of the President of India.”

On Tuesday, TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee had posted on X: “… The ANSWER is clear: A stringent ANTI RAPE LAW that ensures TRIALS AND CONVICTIONS WITHIN 50 DAYS, followed by immediate and harsh punishment. The SHOCKING TRUTH is that the CONVICTION RATE FOR RAPE cases in India is a dismal 26 percent. This translates to ONLY 26 CONVICTIONS OUT OF EVERY 100 REPORTED CASES, WHILE 74 OFFENDERS ESCAPE UNPUNISHED. If we are to deliver justice to the victims of this appalling crime, it is imperative that we demand A TIME BOUND ANTI RAPE LAW from our states and union government. Anything else is futile, merely symbolic and ultimately ineffective!”

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