Section 354 removed from Anti-Rape Act

Islamabad: Pakistan Penal Code’s section 354 has been removed from Anti-Rape Act 2021, ARY News reported on Tuesday.

Ministry of Law & Justice has removed Section 354 from Anti-Rape (Investigation & Trial) Act, 2021 on the recommendation of Special Committee.

Section 354 of Pakistan Penal Code, earlier a scheduled offence under the Act, deals with assault with intent to outrage the modesty of a woman.

“This offence, traditionally tried by a magisterial court, and applied to all cases of assault where women are involved, often does not constitute a high threshold sexual violence crime and therefore removed from the scheduled offences of Anti-Rape (Investigation & Trial) Act, 2021,” according to the Press Information Department.

Section 354 constituted almost 31 percent cases in Special Courts constituted to deal with rape cases, diverting resources from investigating and prosecuting more serious sexual offences.

This policy tweak will help in improving the justice system in dealing with cases of rape and sexual violence, the press release added.

Earlier, Two more suspects involved in the horrific gang-rape of a woman in front of her husband were killed in separate police encounters in Hafizabad, Punjab, police said on Sunday.

The incident, which occurred a month ago, involved a couple returning home on a motorcycle after visiting relatives.

They were intercepted by armed men in a deserted area, where the woman was abducted and gang-raped near a graveyard while her husband was held at gunpoint. The suspects filmed the assault and later uploaded the video to social media, sparking outrage across the country.