 bill no 58 of 2008 the abolition of death penalty to women, children and indigent persons bill, 2008 byshri mohan singh, mp a billto abolish death penalty to women, children and indigent personsbe  it enacted by parliament in the fifty-ninth year of the republic of india as follows:—1  (1) this act may be called the  abolition of death penalty to women, children andindigent persons act, 2008short title, extent and commencement(2) it shall extend to the whole of india5(3) it shall come into force immediatelydefinitions2 in this act, unless the context otherwise provides,—(i) "child" means any child below the age of fifteen years;5(ii) "death penalty" means a sentence of death in any form passed by a court of law or any other authority including the village courts or district councils or regional councils or sentence of death passed by village panchayats or sabhas, tribal sabhas or heads of villages or tribes, whether having legal authority or not, in accordance with personal law, custom or usage and includes death penalty for practicing witchcraft; and(iii) "indigent person" means and includes any person who has attained the age of sixty years or above and is suffering from any incurable disease or is mentally retarded45 of 1860103 notwithstanding anything contained in the indian penal code, 1860 or any otherlaw for the time being in force or custom or usage in practice in india, death penalty shall not be awarded to any woman or a child or any indigent person, notwithstanding the nature of crime committed or caused to be committed and abetted or caused to be abetted by such woman or child or indigent persondeath sentence not to be awardedto women,children and indigent personspunishment154 any person or persons violating the provisions of this act shall be punished withrigorous imprisonment for a term not less than ten years and also with fine of rupees one lakh statement of objects and reasonsit has been observed that vulnerable sections of the society, the women, the children and the indigent persons continue to be the subject of exploitation, including sexual exploitation and abuse and are often placed in circumstances wherein they are liable to commit crimes attracting severe penalties including death penalty various customary, religious as well as tribal laws often provide for death penalties for offences like "adultery" and practicing "witchcraft"a circumstance or situation can hardly be conceived when the persons belonging to weaker sex, the children or the indigent would commit such a crime without enough provocation as to attract the death penaltycases have come to light where women, children or indigent persons have been sentenced to death it would only be proper to abolish death penalty for such vulnerable sectionshence this billnew delhi;mohan singhoctober 3, 2008 lok   salok   sabhabha———— a billto abolish death penalty to women, children and indigent persons————(shri mohan singh, mp)gmgipmrnd—3352ls(s5)—17102008