No differences on anti-rape law, bill in Parliament next week: Law Minister

Law Minister Ashwani Kumar has dismissed reports of alleged differences between the Home Ministry and the Law Ministry over the proposed new anti-rape bill. Kumar said he is hopeful of the bill being taken up by the Cabinet in the coming week while speaking to Karan Thapar on  Devil’s Advocate. The law which was expected to be taken up at a special cabinet meeting last week was not brought for discussion, leading to reports that differences of opinion over the draft Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill - seeking to reintroduce the word ‘rape’ instead of ‘sexual assault’ in the anti-rape law and lower the age of consensual sex from 18 to 16 - had forced the government to defer it. Reports added that there were serious differences between the Law Ministry and the Home Ministry over the contents of the anti-rape bill. [caption id=“attachment_654409” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Ashwani Kumar. Reuters[/caption] “The fact remains that we are giving to the people of India a very important criminal law Bill and it needed reflection, it needed discussion. There have been three or four drafts which have been discussed. We have given our proposals. I am confident that early next week the Cabinet will be able to consider the Bill,” said Kumar in the interview. When asked why it wasn’t put before the Cabinet on Thursday, Kumar said that the Home Ministry was trying to make up its mind on what the law ministry had sent them. “They were looking at what we had sent them. It was time for the Home Ministry itself to make up its mind, to bring it before the Cabinet. It will come, I am given to understand early next week.” He also said that there could be differences of opinion in the criminal law amendment ordinance, but there weren’t any fundamental objections. On Friday, Finance Minister P Chidambaram, also  underplayed reported differences in the government over certain provisions in the anti-rape law. “The Law Ministry has given its views. The Ministry of Home Affairs is putting together the Bill. It will come to the Cabinet. May be there will be a special Cabinet meeting early. There are no differences in the government,” he said. Kumar said, “We propose to bring the bill for discussion in both houses of the Parliament at the soonest. And we will certainly hope that it is translated into law before 22 March when the ordinance is set to lapse. A lot of work has gone into the formulation of the new bill.”