Justice Verma Committee

Background and evolution

On 16 December 2012, a young woman was gang-raped and brutally assaulted on a bus in Delhi; she later died of her injuries. The crime triggered nationwide protests demanding safety for women and swift justice. Within a week, the government set up a committee under Justice J. S. Verma, a former Chief Justice of India known for landmark rulings on human rights, along with Justice Leila Seth, the first woman Chief Justice of a High Court, and senior advocate Gopal Subramanium.

The committee received around 80,000 suggestions from the public, held consultations with women's groups, lawyers and police, and submitted a 630-page report in just 29 days. Its speed and openness were widely praised. (A different committee, also chaired by Justice Verma, had reported in 1999 on operationalising Fundamental Duties.)

Key features and provisions

• Rape law: broader definition of rape to include non-penile penetration; recognition that consent must be unequivocal; recommendation to remove the marital rape exception.
• New offences: stalking, voyeurism, acid attacks, disrobing, and trafficking to be clearly defined and punished.
• Punishment: harsher sentences, including life imprisonment for gang rape, but not the death penalty, which it said would not deter.
• Armed forces: sexual offences by security forces in conflict areas should be tried under ordinary criminal law, requiring a review of AFSPA.
• Police and courts: police reforms, faster trials, better forensic and medical examination protocols, and an end to the "two-finger test".
• Electoral reform: candidates against whom charges for serious sexual offences are framed should be disqualified.
• Bill of Rights for women: a charter of rights to dignity, security and equality.