Neo-Penal Policies as Criminal Justice Response to Sexual Crimes in India

Dr.Nandini G.Devarmani; Dr.R.N.Mangoli

Volume : VII, Issue : II, February - 2018

Neo-Penal Policies as Criminal Justice Response to Sexual Crimes in India

Dr. Nandini G. Devarmani, Dr. R. N. Mangoli

Abstract :

Punishment in India dramatically changed and enhanced for certain heinous and sever crimes in recent past. Although, India has been retained the Death Penalty in the rarest of rare cases for certain offences under Indian Penal Code 1860. Major enhancement of punishment as a response of Indian Criminal Justice System for sexual offences has particularly become possible in 2013, only after the Nirbhaiya case occurred on 16 Dec 2012 in a moving bus, Delhi. This issue had raised the questions of safety and security of women in India and spread like fire within no time. The processions and protests by the general public took across the country to enhance the punishment for sexual offences. Resultantly, the then UPA Government constituted the Verma Commission to study the enhancement in punishments demanded by the public.

It is usually the public demand in the democratic countries being listened. Government has to listen and enact the new laws or to amend in the existing laws with immediate effect to create fear among the potential would be criminals in the society. India being the democratic country has shown tremendous response towards strengthening the law of the land by enhancing the neo–deterrent policies to prevent sexual crimes in Indian.

The present study is therefore intended to explore the reality of the new laws like POCSO, Sexual Harassment of women at workplace and certain sections in the IPC amended to combat the menace of sexual crimes by studying the rate of crimes recorded by the Crime in India report since 2013.