Bilkis Bano Case Convicts Released: When Will Women's Rights Matter?

On 15th August 2022, eleven men who were sentenced to imprisonment in the Bilkis Bano gangrape case were set free from the Godhra sub-jail by the Gujarat government under its remission policy. 

Undoubtedly I am proud of the country for sustaining its independence for 75 years, but I can really not stop myself from thinking about whether we are really independent. Do women have the freedom to walk the streets of this country sans the fear of being sexually assaulted? Every time I believe that things finally might be changing for the better, the state and people lower the bar. So on the day meant to celebrate our country's independent status and achievements, some people in Godhra were distributing sweets to mark the release of 11 men convicted in the Bilkis Bano case.

During the 2002 Gujarat riots, Bilkis Bano was gangraped and 14 members of her family were killed. The deceased included Bano's three-year-old daughter. 11 people were sentenced to a life-term in the case, in 2008. After their release from jail, the convicted rapists were garlanded and fed sweets. According to Sujal Mayatra, District Magistrate and Collector of Panchmahal, who chaired the Jail Advisory Committee that recommended the convicts' remission, "The convicts had completed over 14 years of their life sentence. Their application had come about three months ago…" He also added that like in the case of any application for remission or premature release, this case was also considered on the basis of the behaviour of the convicts in prison as well as the tenure and other merits of the case. 

It must be noted that in June this year, the Centre had issued guidelines to states on a prisoner release policy, according to which rape convicts and those convicted for life were not eligible for early release.

So it is not just the society but the judiciary of this country as well, that has disappointed Bilkis Bano and survivors like her, who follow the due process in hopes of getting justice.

Bilkis Bano case convicts released: When will women's rights matter?

With such incidents, it becomes challenging to predict when women's rights will be considered as human rights. The demand and the need is to just consider women as humans. Is the demand excessive? The bar is set so low, that when a woman is treated with respect we are actually grateful for that, because that is a rarity in our society.

A woman was robbed of her dignity and her loved ones, she has been left with scars and trauma that she will carry for a lifetime. How is she not entitled to justice? What kind of message does this release of rape convicts send to women? Can we dare to feel safe? Can we trust the judiciary to protect our rights? How can we trust our society to help rebuild rape survivors' lives when we see rapists being garlanded and celebrated?

Rehabilitation and celebration are two separate things. The treatment that was meted out to these 11 convicts after their release was a slap across the face of those who thought that women's rights, our plight and our dignity mattered. It doesn't. What matters is politics and vested interests.

Views expressed are the author's own.

Suggested Reading: Bilkis Bano Case: Is Rape A Remittable Crime?