Bilkis Bano verdict: Opposition slams Gujarat govt, says 'BJP exposed'

Earlier on Monday, the SC accused the BJP government in Gujarat of abusing its power in the Bilkis Bano case and ordered that they be sent back to jail within two weeks

After the Supreme Court (SC), on Monday, quashed the Gujarat government's decision to grant remission to 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano case, the Opposition leaders hailed the top court's verdict, slamming the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over its "anti-women policies."

Earlier in the day, the apex court accused the BJP government in Gujarat of abusing its power in the high-profile case and ordered that they be sent back to jail within two weeks. The case pertains to the remission given to the men convicted of gang-raping Bilkis Bano and murdering seven of her family members during the 2002 Gujarat riots.

Who said what on Bilkis Bano verdict

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi, in a post in Hindi on social media platform X, congratulated Bano and said, "With this order, the veil over the anti-women policies of the Bharatiya Janata Party has been removed. After this, public confidence in the justice system will be further strengthened."

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi cornered the Narendra Modi government over the issue and said it should apologise to Bilkis Bano. "...the Supreme Court today said that the state of Gujarat acted in complicity with the convicts. The BJP government was helping rapists in Gujarat. Two BJP MLAs endorsed the release of these rapists." "I welcome this judgement, and it acts as a precedent against all the rapists in the future," he added.

The Congress' media and publicity head Pawan Khera said the judgement 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...," Khera said.

JD(U) leader Neeraj Kumar also welcomed the decision, highlighting that "The honourable Supreme Court took the remission of convicts that were released on August 15 (Independence Day) seriously, and their decision is noteworthy."

Advocate and women rights activist Vrinda Grover expressed her optimism about the verdict and noted: "It is a very good judgement which has upheld the Rule of Law and the faith of the people of this country, particularly the women, in the legal system, the courts, and that there is an assurance for justice."

Samajwadi Party spokesperson Ameeque Jamei said, "Bilkis Bano didn't get justice; she has been fighting for decades regarding a rape case in which powers from the whole (Gujarat) state were involved."

Banos’ family welcomes decision

Bilkis Bano's uncle Abdul Razzaq Mansoori also welcomed the Supreme Court's verdict quashing Gujarat government's remission order.

The SC, in its verdict, also noted that the state where an offender is tried has the authority to decide on a remission plea. The convicts in the Bilkis Bano case were tried in Maharashtra. All 11 convicts were released on August 15, 2022 after being granted remission by the Gujarat government.

(With inputs from agencies)