The Senate for the first time has passed a bill that criminalizes the torture and rape of the accused persons who are in custody.
According to the details, the Torture and Custodial Death (Prevention and Punishment) Bill 2022 is one of the four bills passed by the upper house on Thursday.
The new law aims at providing custodial protection to detainees from all types of torture that public officials employ. In addition, it also lays the ground for an impartial investigation into any torture allegations by holding the culprits accountable.
Furthermore, any public official found guilty of inflicting torture on the detainees will be punished under Section 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). Moreover, the offense will be non-bailable. Besides, it has also criminalized and prescribed punishment for custodial rapes.
Moreover, the legislation’s statement of objects quotes the United Nations’ (UN) related laws and states that the country lacked any specific law pertaining to the acts of torture, therefore, the bill’s aim is to criminalize and penalize such acts.
