India’s SC overrules early release of 11 convicts in Bilkis Bano gang rape case
Ruling exposed BJP’s ‘callous disregard for women’: Congress
New Delhi: Global outrage forced India’s top court to rule, today, (Monday) that 11 murderers convicted of a gang rape of a Muslim woman by a Hindu mob, who were released early, must return to jail.
Bilkis Bano and two of her children were the only survivors among a group of Muslims attacked by a Hindu mob in the western state of Gujarat in 2002 during one of post-independence India’s worst religious riots.
Bilkis was pregnant at the time and seven of the 14 people murdered were relatives, including her three-year-old daughter.
The attack took place when Hindutva icon Narendra Modi, now India’s prime minister, was the chief minister of Gujarat.
The 11 convicts were freed in August 2022 following a recommendation by a state government panel, but must now return to jail within two weeks, the Supreme Court in New Delhi ruled.
“Their plea for protection of their liberty is rejected,” the Supreme Court said. Allowing them to remain free would “not be in consonance with the rule of law”, it added.
The men were accorded a heroes’ welcome when they were released in 2022 and a viral video showed relatives and supporters welcoming them with sweets and garlands.
The convicts’ release triggered angry reactions across the country, especially since it coincided with India’s Independence Day celebrations, when Modi spoke about women’s safety and security.
The opposition Congress party welcomed the ruling, saying it exposed 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,” spokesman Pawan Khera posted on X, previously known as Twitter.
