Jamaat-e-Islami Hind has condemned the BJP govt in Gujarat for releasing 11 people who were convicted in the Bilkis Bano rape case.
In a statement to the media, the Vice President of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Prof Salim Engineer said: “We are dismayed by the role of the Gujarat government in ensuring the release of those convicted and sentenced for life imprisonment in the Bilkis Bano gang rape case and the murder of seven members of her family. Such decisions that are aimed at reaping political dividends to appease a particular constituency are highly objectionable. We condemn the decision and hope the apex court intervenes in the matter to reverse this grave injustice carried out under the guise of official government policy.”
The eleven convicts sentenced to life imprisonment in the 2002 Bilkis Bano gang rape case on Monday walked out of the Godhra sub-jail after the Gujarat government approved their release under its remission policy.
On January 21, 2008, a special CBI court in Mumbai, sentenced the eleven accused to life imprisonment on the charge of gang rape and murder of seven members of Bilkis Bano’s family during the Godhra riots. Later, their conviction was upheld by the Bombay High Court.
The 11 convicts who have been set free 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 JIH Vice President said: “The remission policy should be applied for those languishing in jails for petty crimes not for those who have been convicted for heinous crimes like rape and murder. If state governments are allowed to free criminals of their choice through a remission policy despite being convicted for heinous crimes, then this will make a mockery of our justice dispensation system and the citizens will lose hope in the system. Justice for all is one of the most abiding principles of our Constitution and if this trend continues then democracy will be weakened. This is bound to embolden the foot soldiers and their masterminds as they will be confident of being bailed out by the system sooner or later despite committing the most heinous crimes. The manner in which these convicts are being felicitated and lauded is quite reprehensible. It also exposes our hypocrisy in being promoters of Nari Shakti and guardians of women’s honour and dignity.”
Prof Salim Engineer added: “Those released in the Bilkis Bano rape case were convicted by CBI court and the decision was upheld by the Bombay High Court. Of these 11 convicted, only one had approached the Supreme Court for the remission of sentence after which the apex court directed the Gujarat state government to look into his appeal for premature release. But the state government formed a panel and decided in favour of remission of all the 11 convicted. When we note this sequence of events, it undeniably sets a dangerous precedent that will shake the foundations of our justice delivery system. The decision must be reversed if we want to preserve democracy and the rule of law.”
