NEW DELHI: Filmmaker Javed Akhtar has reacted strongly to the Gujarat authorities’s choice to release all 11 convicts within the case relating to Bilkis Bano gangrape and homicide of her family, together with her minor daughter, through the 2002 riots within the state. Javed, an acclaimed lyricist, took to Twitter to share his opinion on the matter.
“Those who raped a 5 month pregnant lady after killing 7 of her household together with her 3 12 months outdated daughter have been let loose from the jail provided sweets and have been garlanded . Don’t conceal behind whatabouts. Think!! Some factor is significantly going mistaken with our society,” Javed wrote in his tweet.
BILKIS BANO GANGRAPE CASE
On August 15, all of the 11 convicts sentenced to life imprisonment within the 2002 case of Bilkis Bano’s gang rape and homicide of her seven relations through the communal riots walked out of the Godhra sub-jail after the BJP authorities in Gujarat allowed their release below its remission coverage, drawing a sever flak from Opposition events.
A particular CBI court docket in Mumbai on January 21, 2008, sentenced to life imprisonment all of the 11 accused within the case for the homicide of seven relations of Bilkis Bano, a riots survivor, and her gangrape. Their conviction was later upheld by the Bombay High Court. They have been launched after the Supreme Court directed the federal government to take into account the plea of the convicts for aid below the state’s 1992 remission coverage.
These convicts had served greater than 15 years in jail after which one of them approached the Supreme Court with a plea for his untimely release. The apex court docket had directed the Gujarat authorities to look into the problem of remission of his sentence as per its 1992 coverage based mostly on the date of his conviction. Thereafter, the federal government shaped a committee which determined to enable the release of all of the convicts.
On March 3, 2002, Bilkis Bano’s household was attacked by a mob at Randhikpur village in Limkheda taluka of the Dahod district. Bilkis, who was 5 months pregnant on the time, was gangraped and 7 members of her household have been killed through the riots triggered by the Godhra practice burning incident.
The Supreme Court had in April 2019 directed the Gujarat authorities to give Rs 50 lakh compensation, a job and lodging to Bilkis.
The 11 convicts who have been granted untimely release 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. While convicting them, the particular court docket had acquitted seven accused citing lack of proof. One of the accused had died through the course of the trial.
The Bombay High Court had on May 3, 2017 upheld their conviction. It additionally convicted seven others, together with 5 policemen and two medical doctors, below IPC sections 218 (not performing their duties) and 201 (tampering with proof).
Riots had erupted in Gujarat following the burning of a Sabarmati Express coach that killed 59 ‘karsevaks ‘on February 27, 2002. The violence had claimed the lives of 1,044 individuals, largely Muslims, throughout totally different elements of the state. The central authorities had knowledgeable the Rajya Sabha in May 2005 that 254 Hindus and 790 Muslims have been killed within the post-Godhra riots.
(With PTI inputs)
