Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin introduced two amendment bills in the Assembly on Friday, January 10, proposing stricter punishments for crimes against women and updating existing legislation to address harassment through digital platforms. The bills aim to strengthen the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act, 1998, and amend the applicability of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita in the state.
Advocating harsher punishments for such crimes, Stalin said, “The punishment for criminals who indulge in such heinous crimes should remain a deterrent for those who tend to commit such crimes in the future.”
The amendment outlines significant changes to penalties. Currently, harassment, including through electronic means, carries a punishment of up to three years of imprisonment and a fine of Rs 10,000. Under the new provisions, the punishment for a first conviction would increase to five years of imprisonment and a fine of Rs 1 lakh. Repeat offenders could face up to ten years of imprisonment and a fine of Rs 10 lakh.
The amendments also propose harsher penalties for harassment leading to death. If the act is intentional, the punishment would now include a life sentence and a fine of Rs 2 lakh. For cases where death is caused without intent, the sentence would be 15 years of imprisonment and a fine of Rs 2 lakh. Negligence leading to death would also attract a 15-year sentence and a fine of Rs 1 lakh, up from the current 10-year maximum sentence and Rs 5,000 fine.
"Nowadays, harassment of women through digital and electronic means is rampant. Hence, there is an urgent need to amend the said Act to bring different types of harassment inflicted on women, including those through digital and electronic means, also within the ambit of the said Act. There is also an urgent need to enhance the punishments for harassment of women so that such deplorable acts will be curtailed and the perpetrators will face severe punishment for their crimes," the statement of reason in the amendment Bill stated.