The Gujarat government released the convicts under remission policy who sexually assaulted a pregnant woman!
After the Godhra train burning incident, in 2002, there was massive violence in Gujarat. During the violence, the gang attacked and gang-raped 21-year-old Bilkis Bano, a 5-month pregnant woman from Rantikpur, Ahmedabad, on March 3.
Apart from that, 7 members of Bano’s family were brutally murdered. Then the gang ran away after hitting the 2-year-old child to death on a rock. In 2008, a special CBI court in Mumbai convicted all 11 accused in the heinous incident and sentenced them to life imprisonment.
All 11 life imprisonment convicts in 2002 Bilkis Bano gang rape case walk out of Godhra sub-jail under Gujarat govt’s remission policy: official
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 15, 2022
In this case, on the occasion of the country’s 75th Independence Day, the Gujarat state government released the 11 people who were serving life imprisonment in the Bilkis Bano case. The release of 11 convicts in a gruesome gang rape and murder case in Gujarat by the Gujarat government has drawn controversy and condemnation.
Regarding the release of the 11 people, Gujarat State Additional Home Secretary Rajeev Kumar, “All the 11 people have served more than 14 years in prison. Under the law, lifers can petition for parole after serving 14 years in prison. The government will consider the petition filed by them and take a decision. In that regard, this decision has been taken as per the recommendation given by the Prison Department Committee and the District Legal Committee on the petition of 11 persons. In this, the age of the convicts, prison conduct and nature of the crime were taken into consideration,” told Indian Express.
11 convicts sentenced to life imprisonment on charges of gangrape and murder of 7 members of #BilkisBano‘s family walked out of a Godhra sub-jail today. The Gujarat government allowed their release under its remission policy. #2002GujaratRiots @TheQuint pic.twitter.com/u1dawz5zzm
— Himanshi Dahiya (@himansshhi) August 16, 2022
Videos of performing aarti to 11 convicts released by the Gujarat government, offering sweets and receiving blessings on their return from Godhra Jail are going viral on social media.
Bilkis Bano case
In August 2004, after Bilkis Bano approached the Human Rights Commission, the Supreme Court ordered the CBI to investigate the case. The trial of the case was transferred from Gujarat to a Mumbai court as Bano allegedly received death threats from the accused. A special CBI court convicted all 11 people in the case and sentenced them to life imprisonment. This was also confirmed by the Mumbai High Court.
In this case, the court acquitted 7 people including the police and the doctor. In 2017, in a case filed against it in the Gujarat High Court, the court ruled that all 7 people were guilty. The Supreme Court also confirmed this judgment.
The Supreme Court heard the petition filed by Bilkis Bano seeking compensation and ordered the Gujarat government to provide her Rs 50 lakh, a job and a government residence. But the Gujarat government delayed and filed a case seeking a review of the verdict. However, in 2019, Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi issued an order that the compensation should be paid within 2 weeks.
Links
released convicts in bilkis bano gang rape greeted with sweets hugs
