Brahmins With Good Sanskar: CK Raulji Clarifies Bilkis Bano Case Convicts Comment

Bharatiya Janta Party's Member of Legislative Assembly CK Raulji was a member of the panel that granted remission to the convicts in the Bilkis Bano case. Raulji had defended the decision to release the convicts charged with rape and murder and called them Brahmins with good sanskar. He later said his statement was misconstrued and made a clarification for his statement.

BJP MLA CK Raulji said his previous statement had been taken out of context and clarified, “Rapists have nothing to do with castes and I have not said any such thing. The statement is being shown in a wrong way. A person, who is found to be guilty, must be punished. We should respect the decision of the court.”

Bilkis Bano Case: CK Raulji Statement

Raulji had described the conduct of the 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano case in jail as good. He said, “I do not know if they have committed the crime or not.” Raulji added, “They are Brahmins and Brahmins are known to have good sanskar.”

Raulji justified the release of the convicts and said that in cases of communal violence, innocent people are often targeted.

In 2002, the then-pregnant Bilkis Bano was gangraped and members of her family were murdered during the Gujarat riots. Her three-year-old daughter was one of the family members that was murdered.

The convicts sentenced to life imprisonment in jail were released from a Godhra jail after the Gujarat government approved their application under the remission policy. The Gujarat Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Raj Kumar said the government considered the remission plea as the convicts had served 14 years in jail. Kumar said that factors such as age, behaviour in prison, and the nature of the crime were also considered.

After the convicts were released, Bano said in a statement, “How can justice for any woman end like this?” She added that the release of the convicts had shaken her faith in the justice system. Bano said, “My sorrow and wavering faith is not for myself alone but for every woman who is struggling for justice in courts”.

Following the release of the convicts, over 6,000 citizens issued a statement urging the Supreme Court to revoke their remission.

Suggested Reading: What Is Remission Policy? Reason Behind Release Of Bilkis Bano Gangrape Case Convicts