The government, on April 21, approved the introduction of the death penalty for those who rape children below 12 years of age, amidst outrage over a series of prominent cases.
There have been nationwide protests in recent weeks over the gangrape and murder of an eight-year-old girl in Kathua, Jammu & Kashmir. The government came under fire for maintaining silence and shielding of rapists, and not doing enough to prevent sexual-assault cases, many involving children.
A number of crimes in the country carry the death penalty, but raping a child was not among them.
The introduction of new ordinance has left many polarised over its effectiveness, citing that the existing laws need to be implemented better rather than amending and setting up new laws.