Distasteful: Ex-judge on panel that released Bilkis Bano’s rapists

India

pti-PTI

Mumbai,
Aug
23:
Granting
remission
of
sentence
is
within
the
government’s
powers
but
the
felicitation’ of
the
convicts
in
the
Bilkis
Bano
case
by
some
people
was
distasteful,
the
judge
who
convicted
them
14
years
ago
said
here
on
Tuesday.

The
Gujarat
government’s
decision
to
release
11
convicts
undergoing
life
sentence
for
the
gangrape
of
Bilkis
Bano
and
murder
of
her
family
members
during
the
2002
riots
has
led
to
outrage.
Some
unconfirmed
reports
also
claimed
that
they
were
felicitated
by
local
leaders
upon
release.

“I
don’t
think
I
did
anything
special
(in
convicting
them).
My
judgment
was
my
duty,”
said
retired
judge
U
D
Salvi
at
Solidarity
With
Bilkis
Bano’,
an
event
organized
by
United
Against
Injustice
and
Discrimination’.
“The
state
has
the
right
to
grant
remission.
It’s
a
power
given
to
the
state
under
law,”
Salvi
said,
adding
that
he
can
not
comment
on
the
decision
to
release
the
convicts
prematurely
as
he
had
not
seen
the
relevant
reports
and
did
not
know
what
factors
were
considered.

“But
their
felicitation
(by
some
people)
was
in
absolute
bad
taste.
The
convicts
themselves
should
not
have
accepted
felicitation,”
Salvi
said
to
a
question
by
reporters.
Eleven
convicts
walked
out
of
Godhra
sub-jail
after
the
Gujarat
government
allowed
their
release
on
August
15
this
year.

The
trial
was
shifted
to
Mumbai
by
the
Supreme
Court
in
2004
after
Bano
claimed
that
she
was
receiving
threats.
A
special
court
for
CBI
cases
here,
presided
over
by
Salvi,
sentenced
the
accused
to
life
imprisonment
on
January
21,
2008.
Salvi
also
said
that
he
wanted
to
read
his
judgment
again
as
it
had
been
long
time
ago,
but
“the
judgment
is
not
available.”

Bilkis
Bano
case:
SC
agrees
to
hear
plea
challenging
remission
order
of
releasing
convicts

The
remission
granted
by
the
Gujarat
government
to
the
convicts
has
been
challenged
before
the
Supreme
Court.
After
violence
erupted
following
the
burning
of
a
Sabarmati
Express
coach
that
killed
59
‘karsevaks
‘on
February
27,
2002,
Bilkis
Bano,
who
was
five
months
pregnant
then,
fled
her
village
with
her
toddler
daughter
and
15
others.

On
March
3,
they
took
shelter
in
a
field
when
a
mob
of
20-30
people
attacked
them.
Bano
was
gang
raped
while
seven
members
of
her
family
were
killed.