The Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill 2013

• The Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill 2013 was passed in the Lok Sabha on 19 March 2013.
• The punishments range from life term to death penalty for the repeated offenders. 
• The Bill brought out after the Delhi gangrape of the Para-medical student on 16 December 2012.
• fixed the age of consensual sex to 18 years. 

Key features of the Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill 2013

• The Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill 2013 was actually the Ordinance that was promulgated by the President of India on 3 February 2013. 
• The bill seeks to make amendments in the Code of Criminal Procedure, Indian Penal Code, Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act as well as Indian Evidence Act.
• The bill states that offender could be given an imprisonment of not less than 20 years, extendable up to life term. 
• The bill also includes provisions for death sentence for offenders who are convicted earlier for such crimes. 
• This is for the first time that the bill described voyeurism and stalking as the non-bailable offences, in case repeated for the second time. 
• Perpetrators of acid attacks would be sentenced for 10-year jail term. 

The Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill 2013 incorporated new offences in the Indian Penal Code (IPC) which are as follows:

1. Acid Attack
2. Attempt to Acid Attack
3. Sexual Harassment
4. Public disrobing of woman
5. Voyeurism
6. Stalking