New Delhi: Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde on Tuesday said he has written letters to all political parties asking them to send their suggestions on the issue of laws relating to crimes against women to the Justice Verma Committee so that it is easier to take decisions.
"I have written to all the political parties to give their suggestions to the Justice Verma Committee to facilitate the decision making," Shinde told mediapersons outside the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) here.
The Home Minister, however, refused to comment on the opposition's demand for an all-party meeting to discuss the contentious issue.
Shinde had earlier on Saturday said that the rape laws would be made more stringent.
"Government is committed to seek deterrent punishment for all the culprits. Government is also committed to make necessary changes in the law to make it more stringent so that such incidents do not recur in future," said Shinde is his condolence message on the demise of the gang-rape victim.
Finance Minister P Chidambaram had yesterday rubbished the BJP''s demand to convene a special session of Parliament.
Chidambaram said the government has already set up a committee headed by retired Supreme Court Chief Justice JS Verma to review the existing criminal laws to provide more severe punishment in cases of sexual assault on women.
The Finance Minister, who was responding to a media query on BJP's demand for a special session in this regard, said the need for a special session for the passage of more stringent law might arise only after the submission of the report by the committee.
The committee - headed by former Chief Justice of India JS Verma - was constituted to look into possible amendments to criminal law so as to provide for quicker trial and enhanced punishment for those accused of ''sexual assault of extreme nature against women''. The committee is to submit its report within a month.
The girl, a physiotherapy student, was gang raped and brutally assaulted allegedly by six men in a moving bus in South Delhi on the night of December 16.
ANI
First Published: Tuesday, January 01, 2013, 14:02