Gujarat govt defends release of 11 Bilkis Bano rapists in Supreme Court

The Gujarat govt has defended its decision to release the 11 men convicted to raping Bilkis Bano during 2002 Gujarat riots in Supreme Court.

The state govt re-iterated its stand that the convicts were released as part of their special remission policy because their behaviour had been good.

According to NDTV, in an affidavit filed the Supreme Court the Gujarat govt said that the Union Home Ministry had approved the early release of the 11 rapists.

The remission and consequent release of 11 convicts on August 15 this year from Godhra sub-jail under the Gujarat government’s remission policy has sparked a debate on the issue of such relief in heinous cases. The convicts had completed more than 15 years in jail.

On August 25, the top court had sought responses from the Centre and the Gujarat government to the petition challenging the remission granted to the 11 convicts in the case.

It had asked the petitioners to implead the 11 convicted persons, who have been granted remission, as parties in the matter.

TMC MP Mahua Moitra has also filed a separate plea in the top court challenging the grant of remission.

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. 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 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.