Amid a political storm over the Gujarat government's submission in the Supreme Court on the premature release of the convicts in the Bilkis Bano gang-rape case, a Union minister on Tuesday defended the decision to grant remission, saying it was done as per the law.
The state government had told the top court that it obtained "suitable orders" from the Centre for granting remission to the convicts and that the petitioners challenging the remission are nothing but an "interloper" and a "busybody".
"I don't find anything wrong in it as it is a process of law," Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi told NDTV. He said there is a provision in the law for the release of convicts who have spent “quite some time” in jail.
All 11 men convicted in the Bilkis Bano case walked out from the Godhra sub-jail on August 15 after the Gujarat government allowed their release under its remission policy. Those granted premature release are Jaswantbhai Nai, Govindbhai Nai, Shailesh Bhatt, Radheshyam Shah, Bipin Chandra Joshi, Kesarbhai Vohania, Pradeep Mordhiya, Bakabhai Vohania, Rajubhai Soni, Mitesh Bhatt, and Ramesh Chandana.
The state government's revelation that the Centre had given permission for the release of the convicts has stirred up a political storm with the opposition parties targeting the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the issue of women's safety.
"Talk of respect for women from the ramparts of the Red Fort but in reality support for 'rapists'," Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said in a tweet.
"The difference between the Prime Minister's promises and intentions is clear, PM has only betrayed women," he said.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Tuesday said it will hear on November 29 the pleas filed by senior CPI(M) leader Subhashini Ali and two other women challenging the remission of sentence and release of convicts.
Bilkis Bano was 21 years old and five months pregnant when she was gang-raped while fleeing the riots that broke out after the Godhra train burning incident in 2002. Her three-year-old daughter was among the seven family members killed.
The investigation in the case was handed over to the CBI and the trial was transferred to a Maharashtra court by the Supreme Court. A special CBI court in Mumbai had on January 21, 2008, sentenced the 11 men to life imprisonment on charges of gang-rape of Bilkis Bano and murder of seven members of her family.
Their conviction was later upheld by the Bombay High Court and the Supreme Court.
