Unanimous decision of panel to free 11 convicts in Bilkis rape case: Godhra BJP MLA

Besides Raulji, the JAC had three BJP members: Murlidhar Mulchandani, former president of Godhra municipality who was a witness in the Sabarmati Express train burning case of February 2002; Kalol MLA Suman Chauhan; and Sneha Bhatia, secretary of the party’s Godhra city unit.

Headed by Panchmahal District Magistrate/Collector Sujal Mayatra, the committee also comprised the Principal District Sessions Judge of Godhra, District Social Welfare Officer, Panchmahal Superintendent of Police, and Superintendent of Godhra sub-jail.

“Everyone was in agreement with this decision (to release them), as the convicts were eligible for remission as per the process and guidelines of the state government,” Raulji told The Indian Express on Thursday. “Whatever decision we took, it was under the policy of the state government.”

The decision, he maintained, was taken in “one voice”, after considering “good behaviour” of the convicts during their jail term — “18 years in case of some of the convicts”.

One of the two women members on the committee, who declined to be identified, said, “The decision was taken by the majority. We felt 14 or 18 years in jail is a long time for someone to be punished. As women, we have sympathy for the victim, but it is also true that there are women in families of the convicts as well, who have suffered without any fault of theirs.”

She said, “The victim has got her compensation from the government and has a family now…. She can live peacefully; so can the 11 other families…. Moreover, these men do not have any criminal history.”

Citing the case of Jaswant Nai, 71 — “he is the oldest (among the 11 convicts) but served his sentence with sincerity” — Raulji also emphasised the point that “none of them has a criminal record”.

Asked if the decision to release the men, convicted of gangrape and massacre, could send out a wrong message to the society, Raulji said, “Yes, that is possible. But none of the committee members felt so. We took a decision as per the process and guideline of the state government.”

He said: “What happened back then was in the heat of a communal riot — they are not hardened criminals. This was the only remission petition placed before the JAC for review, and we had four meetings since June. All members unanimously decided to recommend this remission.”

Raulji, who began his political career with Janata Dal, joined BJP in 1991. A loyalist of Shankersinh Vaghela, he left when the former CM floated Rashtriya Janta Party (RJP) in 1995. After Vaghela merged RJP with Congress, Raulji contested and won 2007 and 2012 Assembly polls on a Congress ticket from Godhra. He returned to BJP in August 2017.

Kalol MLA Chauhan, daughter-in-law of former Panchmahal MP Prabhatsinh Chauhan, is a first-time BJP MLA.

Mulchandani was one of the witnesses to testify on the roles of politicians — Godhra municipality president, late Mohammad Husain Kalota; and councillors Bilal Ismail Abdul Majid Sujela, alias Haji Bilal; Abdurehman Kankatta; and Salim Sheikh — in the Sabarmati train burning case.

Bilal, who died last year, was among 11 people sentenced to death in the case. In 2017, the sentence was commuted to life imprisonment.

A JAC member, who declined to be identified, said remission to the convicts in the Bilkis case cannot be compared with similar applications pending from convicts of Sabarmati train carnage at Godhra station. “What happened in Godhra was a premeditated conspiracy by certain banned organisations. What happened in Dahod or other places was an aftermath of the train carnage and a reaction in rage. One has to see the circumstances under which the crimes were committed,” the member said.