The Central Government, in a letter, submitted to the Supreme Court on Friday, said that it has started the process to amend the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO)Act to introduce death penalty for rape of minors till 12 year of age.

Centre submitted its report while responding to a PIL filed by Advocate Alakh Alok Srivastava, seeking maximum sentence of death penalty to those offenders involved in the rape and brutal murder of children between the age group of 0 to 12.

The apex court three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dipak Misra and comprising of Justices AM Khanwilkar and DY Chandrachud, fixed the matter for further hearing to April 27.

In wake of the gang-rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district, Union Minister for Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi had said that her ministry intends to amend the POCSO to make provision for death penalty in such cases. (ANI)