TRS expresses shock over release of Bilkis Bano case convicts

Hyderabad: Telangana Rashtra Samithi working president K T Rama Rao on Tuesday termed "shocking" the affidavit filed by the Gujarat government in the Supreme Court that it decided to release 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano case after the Centre gave its approval.

"Shocking!! All along it was reported that Gujarat Govt released the "Sanskari Rapists" Turns out it is Union Govt who actually approved this!," tweeted Rama Rao.

"Shameful & repulsive Letting out Rapists & Child-Killers just for political gains is a new low even by the very low BJP standards," he wrote.

Meanwhile, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) Asaduddin Owaisi stated that Bilkis Bano rapists were released early after approval from union home minister Amit Shah's ministry.

"These men were guilty of brutal rape & murder. A 3-year-old's head was bashed with a rock. They were killed only because they were Muslim. For BJP, no crime is too grave if the victims are Muslim," tweeted the Hyderabad MP.

Owaisi wrote that the release was against the Central government's own policy but BJP State and Central governments left no stone unturned for the early release of these rapists, murderers and child killers.

The Gujarat government informed the Supreme Court on Monday that the union government had given approval for the premature release of 11 prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment in the Bilkis Bano gang-rape case.

"All the prisoners have completed 14-plus years in the prison under life imprisonment and opinions of the authorities concerned have been obtained as per the premature release policy of 1992 and submitted to the Ministry of Home Affairs vide letter dated June 28, 2022 and sought the approval of the Government of India. The Government of India conveyed the concurrence/approval under Section 435 of the Code of Criminal Procedure for premature release of 11 prisoners in a letter on July 11, 2022," the state government said in an affidavit.