Kathmandu, October 12:

The Ministry of Law, Justice and Constituent Assembly Affairs has prepared a draft bill to amend existing legal provisions and bring about gender equality.

The draft bill proposes to amend the Muluki Ain, Supreme Court Justices Service Condition and Remuneration and Facilities Act, Bonus Act, Social Behaviour Reform Act and other legal provisions to ensure gender equality in the society.

The bill proposes amendment in 14 laws relating to citizenship, property, marriage, family, nationality, legal and court proceedings, trafficking and sexual abuse, employment, education and identity.

The ministry plans to introduce the bill in the legislative session of the Constituent Assembly soon, according to a source at the ministry.

The bill recognises daughters as genuine partners of parental property. It proposes to amend Section 11 of the chapter of partition on property of the Muluki Ain replacing ‘unmarried

daughter’ as unmarried daughters had been denied shares in parental property in the existing legal provisions.

It also proposes to empower women by amending Section 5 of the Women’s Property chapter

so that they can spend their property as per their wish.

According to existing legal provisions, women have to seek the consent of their husbands or sons to use their property.

The bill also proposes to set up to five-year jail term for anyone found involved in crime against pregnant women leading to miscarriage.

It also proposes to impose one to three-year jail term for anyone involved in raping wife. The existing Act has the provision of imposing a jail term of three-six months for the crime.

Responding to a public interest litigation, the Supreme Court had directed the government to increase sentence for the offender in marital rape case.

The bill also proposes to introduce a new provision to impose jail term of three months to three years to anyone discriminating women on the basis of sex, politics, economic, social and cultural background.

Acts to be amended

•Amendment to an Act 2010 that interprets Nepali law

•Employees Provident Fund Act 2019

•Act on Sales of land plots in Rapti Doon Development Region, 2024

•Act on wages, facilities of Supreme Court Justices, 2026

•Bonus Act, 2030

•Social Behaviour (Improvement) Act, 2033

•Retirement Fund Act, 2042

•Children Act, 2048

•Insurance Act, 2049

•Attorney General’s remuneration, service and facilities, 2052

•Remuneration, service and facilities of officials of constitutional bodies, 2053

•Nepal Health Act, 2053

•Kamaiya Labour Act, 2058

•Bank and Financial Institutions Act, 2063