Bilkis Bano verdict | Veil over BJP's anti-women policies removed: Priyanka Gandhi

Congress on January 8 hailed the Supreme Court judgment quashing the Gujarat government's decision to grant remission to 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano gang-rape case.

In a post on X, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi said that with the verdict, the veil over the anti-women policies of the BJP has been removed.

Congratulating Bano for continuing her fight bravely, Gandhi said after the order, public confidence in the justice system will be further strengthened.

The Congress' media and publicity head Pawan Khera said the Supreme Court judgment quashing the release of the 11 rapists by the Gujarat government "exposes the BJP's callous disregard for women".

"It is a slap on the face of those who facilitated the illegal release of these criminals and also those who garlanded the convicts and fed sweets to them...," Khera said.

"India will not allow the administration of justice to be incumbent on the religion or the caste of the victim or the perpetrator of a crime," he added.

In a post on 'X', the Congress said Bilkis Bano's rapists would go to jail again. The BJP government had got these rapists released, it said.

"This decision of the Supreme Court in the Bilkis Bano case is historic. This decision exposes the anti-women act of the BJP government of Gujarat in releasing the rapists of Bilkis Bano. This shows how disgusting the BJP's thinking is towards women," the party said in Hindi.