Over 6,000 citizens issued a statement urging the Supreme Court to revoke the release of the 11 convicts that were charged with rape and murder in the Bilkis Bano case. Human rights activists, bureaucrats, historians, journalists, and scholars were among the citizens who signed the statement.
On August 15, all 11 men that were sentenced to life imprisonment and charged with rape and murder in the Bilkis Bano case were released. The Gujarat government released the convicts under the remission policy.
According to Gujarat's Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Raj Kumar, the government considered their remission application because the convicts had served 14 years in jail as well as factors such as nature of the crime, behaviour in prison, and age.
Revoke Release Of Bilkis Bano Case Convicts
The statement described the early remission of the 11 convicts as a “grave miscarriage of justice” and demanded that their early release be revoked. The signatories included citizens, activists, writers, scholars, filmmakers, journalists, and historians. Representatives from organisations such as Saheli Women’s Resource Centre, All India Progressive Women’s Association, National Alliance of People’s Movements, Delhi Solidarity Group, and All India Students Association were signatories.
The statement read, “It shames us that on the day we should celebrate our freedoms and be proud of our independence, the women of India instead saw gang-rapists and mass murderers freed.” It added that the early release of the convicts was “immoral and unconscionable”.
The statement mentioned that nobody spoke with Bano and asked for her views. It said, “No one asked how she, a gang rape survivor, felt about the release of her rapists.”
It alleged that the release of the convicts violated the Centre’s guidelines on the remission policy. The statement said, “In a case investigated and prosecuted by the CBI, no remission can be granted by a State without concurrence by the Centre.”
The statement said that the people responsible for the release of the convicts had let down every woman in the nation. It said that the decision made women more unsafe, more threatened, and increased the risk of violation. The statement said, “You have diluted our faith in the idea of justice for women of India.”
Suggested Reading: Bilkis Bano Calls Decision To Free Convicts 'Unjust', But Who Is Listening To Her?
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