mercy petition nirbhaya Photo Credit: IANS President Ram Nath Kovind

Key Highlights The social transformation can happen only through women empowerment, said President Ram Nath Kovind

The President asserted that it is the responsibility of every citizen to sensitise sons towards the honour of women

The President said that the incidents of demonic attacks on women have shaken the conscience of the country

Mount Abu: As the country rages over the growing incidents of rape, President Ram Nath Kovind on Friday said that the people, who have been convicted of a crime under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, should not be given the right to file a mercy plea.

While addressing a gathering after inaugurating the National Conference on 'Empowerment of Women for Social Transformation' at the Brahma Kumaris' headquarters in Rajasthan's Mount Abu, the President said it is up to Parliament to take a final call in this matter.

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Underlining that a lot of steps are required to be taken to ensure the safety of women, the President said that the incidents of demonic attacks on women have shaken the conscience of the country.

The President asserted that it is the responsibility of every citizen to sensitise sons towards the honour of women. The social transformation can happen only through women empowerment, added the President.

In another development, the Union Home Ministry today sent to the President the Delhi government's recommendation of rejecting mercy plea filed by one of the convicts of 2012 Nirbhaya (name changed) gang-rape and murder case to the President's office.

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A 23-year-old woman was gang-raped and tortured in a bus on the night of December 16, 2012, ultimately leading to her death after several days in the hospital. The case had shaken the conscience of the nation and sparked unprecedented protests.

The Delhi Police had arrested all the six accused and charged them with sexual assault and murder. One of the accused, who was a minor, appeared before a juvenile justice court, while another accused committed suicide in Tihar Jail.

In September 2013, a trial court had sentenced four of the convicts to death. The verdict was confirmed by the Delhi High Court in March 2014 and upheld by the Supreme Court in May 2017. It further dismissed the review petition in July 2018.

Also, there is a lot of anguish across the country in the wake of the gang-rape and murder of a 27-year-old veterinarian near Hyderabad in Telangana.

On the day the President made a statement that there should be no provision for mercy pleas for the persons convicted under the POCSO Act, the topic of deaths of the four rapists of Disha (name changed - the veterinarian who was raped and murdered in Cyberabad) is raging across India.

The country is debating the morality of the act of the Telangana Police gunning down the four accused in the veterinarian's rape and murder case, in an encounter that unfolded, allegedly as the accused attempted to flee.