The Supreme Court of India has ordered 11 men, who were convicted for their role in the 2002 Gujarat riots, to return to jail. The apex court has challenged Gujarat’s power to grant remission to the convicts, who were released in August 2022 on the grounds of “good conduct” and “completion of 14 years of imprisonment”.
The 11 men were part of a mob that brutally assaulted a pregnant Muslim woman, Bilkis Bano, and killed her 3-year-old daughter along with 13 others in Randhikpur village during the communal violence that engulfed Gujarat in 2002. The riots claimed over 2,000 lives and left thousands more injured and displaced. The convicts were sentenced to life imprisonment by a special court in 2008, but the Gujarat government decided to set them free, sparking outrage among the victims and human rights activists.
The Supreme Court, however, has put a halt to Gujarat’s controversial move, calling it “premature” and “illegal”. The court has also sought an explanation from the state government on how it arrived at the decision to release the convicts without consulting the Centre or the victims. The court has also asked the Gujarat High Court to monitor the case and expedite the hearing of the appeals filed by the convicts.
The Supreme Court’s intervention has reignited the debate over the accountability and justice for the 2002 riots, which have been widely seen as a stain on India’s secular fabric. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was the Chief Minister of Gujarat at the time of the riots, has faced allegations of being complicit in the violence or turning a blind eye to it. He has denied any wrongdoing and has been cleared by several investigations, but the issue continues to haunt his political career.
The victims of the riots, meanwhile, have welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision as a ray of hope in their long struggle for justice. Bilkis Bano’s uncle, Abdul Razzak Mansuri, who lost seven family members in the carnage, said that the court has restored his faith in the judiciary. “Our wounds are still fresh. We have not received any compensation or rehabilitation from the government. We have been living in fear and insecurity. But today, we feel that justice has been done,” he said.