Bilkis case: Former CM seeks Shah\'s resignation for freeing convicts

BENGALURU: Former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah demanded Union Home Minister Amit Shah's resignation, saying his office ordered release of the convicts in the Bilkis Bano case.

In a series of tweets, the Congress stalwart came down heavily on the BJP, particularly Amit Shah.

“@HMOIndia's order to release the convicts in Bilkis Bano case, exposes the cruel mindset of @BJP4India leaders. They have brought shame to the entire country by granting pardon to these inhuman vultures. @AmitShah should resign & apologise to the entire nation,” Siddaramaiah tweeted.

He said it was unfortunate that the BJP wanted to use a sensitive issue for their political agenda.

“The release of those inhuman rapists & murderers is to polarise electorate ahead of Gujarat elections. For BJP, elections become more important than the concerns of women of this country,” the Congress leader tweeted.

The Congress leader wondered where the women MPs, including Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharamanan and the Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Shobha Karandlaje, were when this decision was taken.

“If they can't stand up even for women's cause, they are unfit to continue in their positions. Can they sleep peacefully knowing that rapists were released by their party for political reasons,” he tweeted.

“The entire nation has seen the beautiful bond of @narendramodi & his mother. But why could @narendramodi not see the pain of the mother who lost her infant & unborn child. India will not forgive this inhuman decision of @BJP4India govt to grant pardon,” Siddaramaiah added in the tweet. All the 11 convicts sentenced to life imprisonment in the 2002 post-Godhra Bilkis Bano gang-rape case on August 16 walked out of the Godhra sub-jail after the Gujarat government allowed their release under its remission policy.

A Special CBI Court in Mumbai on January 21, 2008, sentenced the 11 on the charge of gang-rape and murder of seven members of Bilkis Bano's family.

Their conviction was later upheld by the Bombay High Court. The convicts had served more than 15 years in jail after which one of them approached the Supreme Court with a plea for premature release.

The Supreme Court today said the Gujarat government's reply to pleas challenging the remission granted to the 11 is bulky wherein a series of judgments have been quoted but factual statements missing.