Dhaka: The Supreme Court appellate division on Tuesday issued an order which says that life term imprisonment or death penalty can be awarded as the highest punishment for rape and killing.

The Supreme Court declared a verdict cancelling three sections of Women and Children Repression Prevention Act 1995 and a section of Women and Children Repression Prevention Act 2000.   

A four-member HC bench headed by Justic SK Sinha and comprising Justice Nazmun Ara Sultana, Justic Syed Mahmud Hossain, and Justice Hassan Foyez Siddique issued the rule. Earlier, human right organization Bangladesh Legal Aid and Service Trust (BLAST) submitted a writ in this connection.

The HC order says, ‘a total of four sections, three sections of Women Repression Act 1995 and a section of Women Repression Act 2000, will be canceled as they are conflicting.’

Section 6(2), 6(3), and 6 (4) of Women and Children Repression Prevention (Special) Act 1995 will be void from now. Section 6(2) says, ‘whoever causes the death of any child or woman in or after committing rape shall be punishable with death.’

The section 6(3) reads, ‘if a group of people together commit rape any child or woman all of them shall be punishable with death.’

Section 6(4) of the special act says, ‘if a group of people killed any child or woman in or after committing rape will be punished with death penalty.’