Govt told to consider capital punishment for crimes against elderly
Observing that crimes against senior citizens are similar to "epidemics" and require urgent and serious remedies, a Delhi Sessions court has called on the government to counter the steep rise in such crimes, by making them punishable with death.
Additional Sessions judge Narinder Kumar noted that while the lawmakers have recently taken steps to provide for harsher punishment in cases of sexual offences, a similar move can be considered for crimes committed on the elderly.
"Having regard to gravity of nature of sexual offences, the Legislature has taken steps to provide for stricter punishments for the criminals. This court feels that our wise representatives in Parliament should provide for capital punishment in such cases also, where senior citizens are the victims, so as to teach a lesson to the offenders and to deter others from indulging in crimes against senior citizens," the judge said.
The observation came while the court was awarding a jail sentence to two men, Sunil Kumar and Arjun Sharma, convicted of conspiring to rob a 70-year-old woman. According to the prosecution, the woman used to run a shop near her home in Karol Bagh. On the day of the incident, Sharma and an accomplice allegedly followed her to her home and attacked her by tying her hands and feet. They then allegedly blindfolded the woman, and locked her inside the bathroom, where they removed her jewellery before stealing money and gold from her almirah.
Prosecution said Sharma and his accomplice were given information about the woman's movements by Sunil Kumar, who worked as a domestic help in the neighbouring house. The woman was eventually rescued by her son, who had come to visit her.
V.RAGHAVENDRA RAO,
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