Overview

• Governor C V Ananda Bose formally sent the Aparajita Women and Child Bill back to the West Bengal government for reconsideration of Centre’s objections.
• The Ministry of Home Affairs described the proposal to raise rape punishment under Section 64 to mandatory life imprisonment or death as “excessively harsh and disproportionate.”
• Sections 65 and 66 were flagged for deleting age-based sentencing distinctions and imposing a mandatory death penalty when rape leads to death or a persistent vegetative state.
• The Centre raised constitutional concerns that removing judicial discretion violates Supreme Court precedents against mandatory death sentences.
• State officials say they have not yet received any formal communication about these observations and will decide next steps once notified.