Prez gives nod to tough anti-rape ordinance New Law Takes Effect Immediately

New Delhi: President Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday gave his assent to the ordinance sharpening laws against sexual assault, mandating harsher punishment like death penalty for offenders in cases where the victim dies or is pushed into a persistent vegetative state. The amended law comes into force immediately.      The ordinance, which also introduced voyeurism, stalking, disrobing of women and acid attacks as specific offences under the Indian Penal Code, was approved by the Union cabinet on Friday.      Though the presidential assent has brought the 'changed' provisions of the law into force, the government will have to get it passed in Parliament within six months.      With the BJP welcoming the move, the Centre is confident of getting the new provisions passed after putting it up for discussion and modification, if needed, during the Budget session.      The assent came even as women's rights activists expressed unhappiness over the provisions. They were upset over the Centre's refusal to recognize marital rape as an offence, failure to hold command officers accountable for rapes by their subordinates and omission of rapes by military personnel as a category.  ACTIVISTS STILL UNHAPPY      Two days after govt issues ordinance on sexual crimes against women, President Pranab Mukherjee signs it into law      Assent comes amid protests by women's groups who demanded inclusion of marital rape as an offence and a separate category for rape by armed forces personnel      Coming in aftermath of Nirbhaya case, law includes provision of death penalty in rapes leading to victim's death or pushing her into a persistent vegetative state      With Presidential nod, Criminal Law (Amendment) Ordinance, 2013 becomes a law. Govt will have to get it approved by Parliament in 6 months A peek into the juvenile home horrors      Rohan (name changed) is all set to start life at 17 as a motor mechanic after doing time in a juvenile observation home for crimes committed to fund his drug addiction. "I was lucky," he says, and gives an account of what goes on inside the correctional facilities that seems like a Dickensian description straight out of Oliver Twist. P 8