Bilkis Bano: India Supreme Court cancels release of 2002 riots rapists
BBC NewsDec 30, 2023
India: Top Court Cancels Early Release of Gujarat Rapists
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Image copyright: Ami Vitale/Getty Images News via Getty Images (March 2, 2002)
The Facts
India's Supreme Court on Monday canceled the premature release of 11 men sentenced to life in prison for gang-raping a pregnant woman and murdering her relatives in 2002, ruling the Gujarat government didn't have the authority to reduce their sentence.
Bilkis Bano was five months pregnant when she was gang-raped by a mob — which reportedly killed seven of her relatives, including her three-year-old daughter — during the Hindu-Muslim riots in Gujarat state in 2002.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
The men who committed these heinous crimes against women and children should never have been allowed remission. The fact that these criminals were released from prison and received a hero's welcome at home shows a callous disregard for women. The rule of the law must prevail, and the rapists must be returned to prison.
Establishment-critical narrative
While the crimes committed by the convicts were undeniably awful, they have served their time. The rapists had been released because of their age and their good behavior, not because they were innocent. After 14 years in prison, these men have been reformed, and it's time to move forward. Ordering them back to prison serves no one.
