The Supreme Court said: “Apples cannot be compared with oranges’, similarly massacre cannot be compared with single murder.”
Meanwhile, the apex court has posted the batch of pleas challenging remission to convicts in the case for final disposal on May 2.
Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra who challenged releasing of the convicts in the case said it is part of the delaying tactic by the Central and state governments.
“Delaying tactic on the part of Central, Gujarat governments. They were clearly in contempt as they didn’t produce the files (regarding remission),” she said.
Earlier on March 27, the Supreme Court asked the Gujarat government whether uniform standards, as followed in other cases of murder, were applied while granting remission to 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano case.
The apex court termed Bilkis Bano’s gangrape and murder of her family members during the 2002 Godhra riots as a “horrendous” act.
“It is a very horrendous act. We have an experience of people coming to this court saying they have been languishing in jails for ordinary cases of murder and their remission is not being considered. So is this a case where the standards have been adopted uniformly as in other cases? the bench remarked.
Bano had moved the apex court on November 30 last year challenging the “premature” release of 11 lifers by the state government, saying it has “shaken the conscience of society”.
The 11 men convicted in the case walked out of the Godhra sub-jail on August 15 last year, after the Gujarat government allowed their release under its remission policy. They had completed more than 15 years in jail.
A bench of Justices K M Joseph and B V Nagarathna issued notice to the Centre, Gujarat government and the convicts on the plea filed by Bano and asked the parties to complete the pleadings by the next date of hearing.
Bano was 21 years old and five months pregnant when she was gang-raped while fleeing the riots that broke out after the Godhra train burning incident. Her three-year-old daughter was among the seven family members killed.
