The National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW) welcomes the landmark judgment of the Supreme Court of India in the ‘Bilqis Bano case’, striking down the remission granted by State of Gujarat to the 13 convicts charged with multiple gang rapes and murders’.
Kindly recall that the remission was granted to these 13 convicts already undergoing life sentences when India was celebrating seventy five years of its independence as ‘ Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav” .
NFIW was one of the petitioners in the batch of Writ Petitions that were before the Supreme Court, inter alia seeking the quashing of the remission orders of the 13 convicts.
While cancelling the remission and asking the convicts to return to jail in two weeks, the Supreme Court has said that the Gujarat government acted beyond its powers and it was in tandem with the convicts.
The SC also said that the Order for the right to grant remission has been obtained fraudulently.
The illegal grant of remission made all those Laws that guarantee and safeguard the dignity and constitutional rights of women and children meaningless ruled the two judge bench if the apex court.
In a press statement NFIW reiterates its solidarity with Bilqis Bano and salutes her for her relentless struggle for justice.
Aruna Sinha
