LAGATAR24 DESK
New Delhi, April 18: The Supreme Court Tuesday asked the Gujarat government to share the reasons behind its decision to prematurely release the eleven convicts in Bilkis Bano rape case, Live Law reported.
While hearing a March 27 plea challenging the release of convicts, a bench comprising Justices KM Joseph and Nagarathna said that the gravity of the offence should have been considered by the state government.
The Centre and the Gujarat government, meanwhile, told the apex court that they may file a plea seeking a review of its March 27 order asking them to be ready with original files on the grant of remission to the convicts. The bench will now hear the matter on May 2, and will also take a decision on the review petition proposed to be filed by the Gujarat government.
The bench observed that just because the Central government concurred with the state’s decision does not mean that the state is not required to apply its mind, LiveLaw reported.
“The question is whether government applied its mind, what material formed the basis of its decision, etc…(Judicial) order requiring convicts to be in jail for rest of their natural life… (they were) released by executive order… Today it is this lady (Bilkis). Tomorrow, it can be you or me. There must be objective standards… If you don’t give us reason, we will draw our own conclusions,” the bench observed.
The apex court further said, “apples cannot be compared with oranges” while pointing out that a massacre cannot be compared with a single murder.
Bilkis was gang-raped and her three-year-old daughter was among 14 people killed by a mob on March 3, 2002, in the Limkheda taluka of Gujarat’s Dahod district during the riots. The 11 convicts were released on August 15 last year.
