Sir — This refers to the editorial, “Death is not the answer” (April 23). Undoubtedly, the Union Cabinet’s move to award death sentence to those convicted of sexual assault on minors is historic. But this alone may not lead to a significant reduction in such crimes. Much depends on how probe into such cases are taken forward. Setting new deadlines for say, two months is critical because the judiciary in our country is already loaded with too many cases. Their workload will only increase further.
This apart, social stigma and fear of backlash from the society plays a great role in reportage of such cases and when the accused is the victim’s own relative, it becomes all the more difficult. Another key issue that should have been taken into account is to provide safety to the victim as well as the family.