Union Minister Defends Release Of Bilkis Bano Rapists, Congress Says Stain On Govt Will Never Wash Off
Bilkis Bano was 21 years old and five months pregnant when she was gangraped while fleeing the riots in Gujarat that broke out after the Sabarmati Express was attacked in Godhra.
Amid an outrage over the premature release of the 11 men convicted for the gang rape of Bilkis Bano during the 2002 Gujarat riots, Union Minister Prahlad Joshi on Tuesday defended the decision of the Gujarat government, saying it was done "as per law".
In an interview with NDTV, Joshi, the Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister, said the convicts had spent "quite some time" in prison and "there is a provision" for release.
"After having been in prison for some time, if their behaviour...there are so many incidents, I don't want to get into that," Joshi told NDTV.
READ | 'Released 11 Convicts In Bilkis Bano Case Because...': Gujarat Files Affidavit In Supreme Court
Joshi's remarks come after the BJP-ruled Gujarat government faced flak from the Oppostion over its affidavit in the Supreme Court in which it stated that the 11 rapists were released as they completed 14 years sentence in prison and their "behaviour was found to be good".
The Gujarat government told the SC that the Union Home Ministry had approved the premature release of the convicts in a letter dated July 11, 2022.
In its affidavit, the government also mentioned that the proposal for the premature release of the convicts was opposed by the Superintendent of Police, CBI, Special Crime Branch, Mumbai and the Special Civil Judge (CBI), City Civil and Sessions Court, Greater Bombay, PTI reported.
The Supreme Court granted time to the petitioners to file their response to the Gujarat government's affidavit and said it would hear the case next on November 29.
Stain On Modi Govt's Legacy Will Never Wash Off, Says Congress
The Congress launched a scathing attack on the BJP, accusing the Narendra Modi government of granting premature release to the convicts for political motives.
Addressing a press conference, Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said, "It is repugnant, reprehensible and revolting that an elected government chose to release these convicts in such a cavalier manner. The grant of premature release to the convicts in the Bilkis Bano case is a stain on this government's legacy that will never wash off."
"The fact that the Modi government actively suppressed this fact shows that even it was aware that the action was a condemnable one," he further said.
Singhvi alleged that the panel that had ordered the release of the convicts in the case had "cited dubious justifications -- such as they belonged to Brahmin and 'sanskari' families -- for their release.
"Was the panel acting under some compulsion that it reduced its process to an ostensible formality? This proves beyond a shadow of doubt that the release was a political decision made with not just the knowledge but the concurrence of those in the highest echelons of power in the Modi government," Singhvi said.
What Is The Bilkis Bano Case?
Bilkis Bano was 21 years old and five months pregnant when she was gangraped while fleeing the riots in Gujarat that broke out after the Sabarmati Express was attacked in Godhra in 2002. Her three-year-old daughter was among the seven killed.
A special CBI court in Mumbai had on January 21, 2008 sentenced the 11 convicts to life imprisonment in the case for murder and gang-rape. Their conviction was later upheld by the Bombay High Court.
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