The President Returns West Bengal’s ‘Aparajita Bill’ Citing Concerns Over Stringent Punitive Provisions

In a setback for the West Bengal government, President Droupadi Murmu returned the Aparajita Women and Child (West Bengal Criminal Laws Amendment) Bill, 2024, raising concerns over proposed amendments to the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023.

The bill, passed after a horrific rape-murder case, sought more stringent punishments, including life imprisonment or death for rape, deleting age-based distinctions, and making the death penalty mandatory in some instances.

The Ministry of Home Affairs deemed these provisions excessively harsh and a violation of sentencing proportionality.

The Governor forwarded the bill back to the Assembly Speaker. Earlier, Trinamool MPs had lobbied the President for swift approval.