A special cabinet session may be called soon to clear the anti-rape law, Finance Minister P. Chidambaram said here Friday.
Terming as "unjustified" the media reports accusing the government of not being serious about passing the law, Chidambaram said: "The ministry of home affairs is putting together the bill. It will come to the cabinet. Maybe there will be a special cabinet meeting early."
"I think it was completely unjustified to run a story yesterday (Thursday) that the government is not serious about the anti-rape or anti-sexual assault law," he added.
The minister added that there were "no differences in the government".
Law Minister Ashwini Kumar said the government produced the bill in a "record time", and that it needed the "most thoughtful consideration of everyone".
"Please appreciate that we are making a new law to ensure the protection, dignity, security and safety of our women. It must receive the fullest and the most thoughtful consideration of everyone," Kumar said.
"We are trying to ensure that we give to the people of India a law that would be credible, which would be purposive, which would be efficient and efficacious, and stand the scrutiny of courts and the test of times," he added.
The ordinance, which was promulgated by President Pranab Mukherjee Feb 3, has to be approved by parliament within six weeks from the date of its promulgation. The first half of the ongoing budget session ends March 22 and the house will reconvene only on April 22.
The ordinance proposes death in rarest of rare cases of rape and for repeat offenders while keeping marital rape out of its ambit.
Terming as "unjustified" the media reports accusing the government of not being serious about passing the law, Chidambaram said: "The ministry of home affairs is putting together the bill. It will come to the cabinet. Maybe there will be a special cabinet meeting early."
"I think it was completely unjustified to run a story yesterday (Thursday) that the government is not serious about the anti-rape or anti-sexual assault law," he added.
The minister added that there were "no differences in the government".
Law Minister Ashwini Kumar said the government produced the bill in a "record time", and that it needed the "most thoughtful consideration of everyone".
"Please appreciate that we are making a new law to ensure the protection, dignity, security and safety of our women. It must receive the fullest and the most thoughtful consideration of everyone," Kumar said.
"We are trying to ensure that we give to the people of India a law that would be credible, which would be purposive, which would be efficient and efficacious, and stand the scrutiny of courts and the test of times," he added.
The ordinance, which was promulgated by President Pranab Mukherjee Feb 3, has to be approved by parliament within six weeks from the date of its promulgation. The first half of the ongoing budget session ends March 22 and the house will reconvene only on April 22.
The ordinance proposes death in rarest of rare cases of rape and for repeat offenders while keeping marital rape out of its ambit.