Shashwati Chowdhury
Published on: August 28, 2022 at 17:01 IST
In opposition to the early release of 11 life convicts in the case of the gang rape of Bilkis Bano and the death of her family members during the Gujarat riots in 2002, 134 former civil servants have sent an open letter to the Chief Justice of India.
The letter beseeches the Supreme Court to rescind the Gujarat Government’s decision to commute their sentences and send the convicts back to prison to complete their life sentences.
As with other citizens of this country, the ex-members of the All Indian and Central Services who have formed a group called the Constitutional Conduct Group have expressed their outrage at the Gujarat government’s decision to grant early release to these 11 men who had committed such a heinous crime.
According to the letter, the group hopes that the Supreme Court will reverse “this horrendous wrong decision.” It states that Bilkis Bano and her family, as well as the “safety of all women in India, especially those who belong to the minority and vulnerable communities,” are adversely affected by the premature release.
The former civil servants are puzzled by the urgency implied in the Supreme Court order directing the State Government to consider the remission plea within two months. Furthermore, it argues that remission proposals must be examined in light of the law in effect at the time of conviction, citing the decision in State of Haryana and Ors. vs. Jagdish.
The Gujarat Government’s decision to grant them remission after serving their 14-year sentences resulted in the release of the 11 convicts from prison on August 15.
The Supreme Court is currently in charge of the case. The appeal was filed by CPI(M) MP Subhasini Ali, journalist Revati Laul, and professor Roop Rekha Verma, and on Thursday, a Bench comprising of Chief Justice of India NV Ramana, Justice Ajay Rastogi, and Justice Vikram Nath gave notice in it.
The petitioners were asked by the Bench to implead the accused parties as parties to the proceedings because their fate will be directly impacted by the proceedings’ outcome.