Centre opposes plea for death penalty for convicts in rape cases of minors

New Delhi: The Centre on Thursday opposed in the Supreme Court a plea for awarding the death penalty to those convicted of raping minor girls.

The submission was made by a law officer before a bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices AM Khanwilkar and DY Chandrachud which was hearing a PIL filed in a case relating to the gruesome rape of an eight-month-old baby allegedly by her 28-year-old cousin.

"The death penalty is not the answer to everything," Additional Solicitor General PS Narasimha, appearing for the Centre, said.

The ASG was responding to the submission of lawyer Alakh Alok Srivastava, who had filed the PIL in the rape case, that Parliament be directed to amend the law and award death to those convicted of such crimes.

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The bench, which termed the case "brutal", also said that it could not direct Parliament to amend the law.

The baby was raped allegedly by her cousin on January 28 in a locality near Netaji Subhash Place in north-west Delhi.