House endorses a proposal to increase the statute of limitation on rape case

The House of Representatives has endorsed a proposal to increase the statute of limitations for rape in the country’s criminal law.

A meeting of the House of Representatives on Monday endorsed a bill to amend some laws related to sexual violence along with a report of the Law, Justice and Human Rights Committee on it.

As per the provision of the National Penal Code Act 2017(chapter 18, section 229 -2), the Statute of Limitations, a rape case must be filed within one year of the occurrence if the survivor is an adult, and within a year of the survivor turning 18 if the survivor happens to be a minor.

The House, upon recommendation from the committee, has decided to change it to two years in case the survivor is an adult, and three years of the survivor turning 18 if s/he is a minor.

Following the revelation of an 8-year-old rape case by a beauty pageant organiser a few months ago, there is mounting pressure on the government to remove the provision of the statute of limitations altogether. But, the government had made it clear that it would not decide anything in haste.

Similarly, the House has also made a provision not to punish the person making the complaint even if the complaint was false. The Law, Justice and Human Rights Committee has asked the government to remove the provision of punishing the complainant to make the law pro-survivor.