Tamil Nadu tables bills for stricter action on sexual offences
Tamil Nadu government on Friday introduced two bills to increase the quantum of punishment in sexual crimes committed against women and children and to include online offences
Tamil Nadu government on Friday introduced two bills to increase the quantum of punishment in sexual crimes committed against women and children and to include online offences. Chief minister MK Stalin tabled the bills which will be considered on the concluding day of the ongoing assembly session on Saturday.
“The bills introduced are Amendment to the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women (1998) Bill and Tamil Nadu Criminals Laws Amendment Bill 2025 to amend Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (Central Act 48 of 2023) respectively,” said a senior government official on condition of anonymity.
The development comes amid the DMK government facing backlash after a 19-year-old student was allegedly sexually assaulted at Chennai’s Anna University last December by an outsider who trespassed inside the campus. Opposition AIADMK and BJP have been protesting inside and outside the assembly over the incident slamming the Stalin-led government over a deterioration in law and order situation.
To prevent eve teasing in public places, the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Eve Teasing Act, 1998 was enacted and later it was renamed as the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Woman Act, 1998. “Nowadays, harassment of woman through digital and electronic means is rampant,” the bill read. “Hence, there is an urgent need to amend the said Act in order to bring different types of harassments inflicted to 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 woman so that such deplorable acts will be curtailed and the perpetrators will face severe punishment for their crimes.”
The amendment to the bill proposes that the penalty for harassment of women which is currently an imprisonment of three years with a fine of ₹10,000 to be increased to five years imprisonment and a fine of ₹1 lakh. Harassment will also include digital and electronic offences. If the perpetrator is found to be a repeat offender, the second conviction will extend the imprisonment to 10 years with a fine of ₹10 lakh.
A high number of women are in the work force and higher education in Tamil Nadu, said Stalin in the assembly, adding that about 41% of women working in factories across India are employed in the state. “At the same time the Tamil Nadu government is committed to providing a safe environment for women and taking stringent action against those committing sexual harassment against them and ensuring legal justice,” he said.
“This is an unforgivable crime. While punishment exists for such crimes under BNS and Tamil Nadu’s laws, there has come a necessity to make these punishments stringent. So I’m introducing these Bills and I urge everyone to support this,” he added.
The CM listed the punishments awarded in various cases of sexual violence including the death penalty awarded to a convict for stalking and pushing a Chennai woman to death on to a moving train and adding that there will be zero tolerance to such crimes.
Recommended Topics