12/7/2019 President Ram Nath Kovind recommends revoking right to mercy petition for POSCO convicts on death row

ts on death row - Firstpost

Demonic attacks on women have shaken the conscience of the

country, President Ram Nath Kovind said on Friday and
advocated that those convicted under the POCSO Act should be
deprived of their right to mercy petition.

It is for the Parliament to take a decision on the matter and make

necessary constitutional amendments, "but the thought of all of us
is moving ahead in that direction", he said while addressing an
event in Rajasthan's Abu Road on the issue of women safety.

The president said women safety is a very serious issue and a lot
of work has been done on this but much remains to be done.

"Incidents of demonic assaults on daughters shake the conscience

of the country. It is the duty of every parent, citizens, yours and
mine to strengthen among boys the sense of respect towards
women.

"In this context, several things are coming up. Such convicts have
been given the right of mercy petition by the Constitution. I have
said that there should be reconsideration on this.... In cases under
POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act, they be
deprived of the right of mercy petition. They do not need any such
right," he said.

The president's remarks came at a time the country witnessed

several cases of brutal attacks on women.

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12/7/2019 President Ram Nath Kovind recommends revoking right to mercy petition for POSCO convicts on death row - Firstpost

A rape survivor from

Unnao in Uttar Pradesh
was set alight by five men,
including two of the
accused, on Thursday
when she was on her way
File image of President Ram Nath Kovind. Reuters to court. The woman has
been battling for life at a hospital in Delhi with 90 percent burns.

A 25-year-old veterinarian was raped, killed and burnt in

Hyderabad last month. The charred body of the woman, working
as an assistant veterinarian at a state-run hospital, was found
under a culvert in Shadnagar, near Hyderabad, in the morning of
28 November a day after she went missing.

Speaking on women empowerment, the president said education

is important for empowerment of women.

"It is true that when you make a boy educated, it gives benefit to
one family but when you make a girl educated, its benefit goes to
two families. Another important fact is that the children of an
educated woman do not remain uneducated," he said.

Kovind said that financial empowerment of women was equally

important and the Centre's Jan Dhan Yojana has played an
important role in that direction.

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12/7/2019 President Ram Nath Kovind recommends revoking right to mercy petition for POSCO convicts on death row - Firstpost

Remembering BR Ambedkar on his death anniversary, the

president said that Ambedkar always gave priority to women
empowerment.

He said that there has been an improvement in child sex ratio due
to women development centric schemes and Haryana, Delhi,
Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan have been honoured
for the improvement.

"I have been informed that an improvement of nearly 35 points is

child sex ratio is there in Haryana, Uttarakhand and Uttar
Pradesh. This is an important social change. Birth of 1003
daughters per 1000 sons in Rajasthan's Banswara district is a
good thing, he said.

He said that an example of the political empowerment of women

is also there.

"This year, for the present Lok Sabha, the election of 78 women
MP is an achievement for our society. In rural India, more than 10
lakh women through Panchayati Raj Institutions are also playing
their role effectively, he said.

The president was speaking at the inaugural session of a two-day

national convention on the empowerment of women for social
transformation at Pr

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