As Country grapples with a spate of rape incidents, the President has taken a tough stand against rape convicts booked under POCSO Act. The Indian President Ram Nath Kovind said that there should be no provision of filing a mercy petition for child rapists.
Speaking at an event in Sirohi, Rajasthan, Kovind said, “Women safety is a serious issue. Rape convicts under POCSO act should not have the right to file mercy petition. Parliament should review mercy petitions.”
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It is pertinent to note that the President made these statements when the mercy petition filed by one of the convicts in Nirbhaya 2012 is still pending with him.
Kovind’s assertions also come at a time when the encounter in Hyderabad culminated into deaths of 4 accused in the gruesome gang rape and murder of a 27-year-old veterinary doctor Preeti Reddy (name changed).
As per the media statement given by Shamshabad DCP Prakash Reddy, a police team had taken the four accused to the very spot of the crime early today morning between 3 to 6 am. The accused had snatched some weapons from policemen and tried to escape. They were killed by retaliatory fire in self-defence by the police. Two policemen have also reportedly suffered injuries in the encounter.