Ahead of the Supreme Court hearing on the release of the 11 men convicted in the Bilkis Bano gangrape case, Trinamool MP Mahua Moitra slammed the BJP, saying “random delayed calculated tears by the BJP’s Nari shakti brigade don’t cut ice.” One of the petitioners is the Trinamool MP, who filed a PIL in the Supreme Court opposing the release of the 11 prisoners.
“Gujarat 11 convicted of “rarest of rare” offences, theoretically punishable by death. Life should be taken seriously. There will be no blanket remission without a compelling reason. Not garlands and laddoos, rather “Mahua Moitra took to Twitter to criticise how the inmates were greeted upon their return: at the local VHP office.
Chief Justice NV Ramana will hear three petitions against the release: one submitted by CPM leader Subhashini Ali via counsel Kapil Sibal, another by Mahua Moitra via Abhishek Singhvi, and a third by lawyer Aparna Bhat.
In 2008, the 11 convicts were sentenced to life in prison for the gangrape of Bilkis Bano and the death of her family members during the Godhra riots. The Gujarat government released them on August 15 as part of its remission programme. The move sparked widespread criticism, but the state authorities defended the publication.
What Mahua Moitra’s petition demands
According to Mahua Moitra’s appeal, the remission “totally fails to reinforce either social or human justice and does not represent a lawful exercise of the State’s directed discretionary authority.”
The Trinamool MP asked that the remission be revoked and sought the Supreme Court to issue an appropriate ruling outlining standards for granting remission. “We refuse to participate as a group.”
Read more: Bilkis Bano case convicts: We’re victim of politics
