Cong slams Guj BJP govt as SC quashes remission order in Bilkis Bano case

Cong slams Guj BJP govt as SC quashes remission order in Bilkis Bano case

With the Supreme Court quashing the remission granted to 11 convicts in the case of gangrape of Bilkis Bano and murder of seven of her family members, the Congress on Monday claimed the Gujarat BJP government's approach was to save the criminals rather than ensuring justice for the victim. Human rights lawyer Anand Yagnik said the Gujarat government's decision (to grant remission to the convicts) was not in conformity with law but something that appeared to have been passed under certain "social, religious and political pressure". With the Supreme Court's judgment, the rule of law has prevailed, he said. Bilkis Bano was 21 years old and five months pregnant when she was raped while fleeing the horror of the communal riots that broke out after the Godhra train burning incident in 2002. Her three year old daughter was among the seven family members killed in the riots. All 11 convicts were granted remission by the Gujarat government and released on August 15, 2022. The SC on Monday