The anti-rape bill, providing for enhanced punishment for rape, making stalking and voyeurism criminal offences and fixing age of consent for sex at 18, got parliamentary approval yesterday day with the Rajya Sabha passing the bill with voice vote.

The Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2013 was passed by the Lok Sabha on Tuesday. The widely-debated bill seeks to provide enhanced punishment for crimes such as rape and gang-rape, prescribing punishment extending to death sentence for offenders for inflicting any injury which causes death of the victim or causes them to be in a persistent vegetative state.