Bilkis Bano case: Centre consented to release convicts early, says lawyer
Senior Supreme Court lawyer Rishi Malhotra on Tuesday said the Centre had given its consent as per rules for the premature release from jail of 11 men convicted in the 2002 case of riot survivor Bilkis Bano's gang-rape and murder of her family members.
During a panel discussion on Mojo Story, a digital news platform, Malhotra, who represents these 11 convicts in the Supreme Court, where their release has been challenged, said the Centre had given its approval as per the Gujarat government's remission policy, under which they were set free after serving more than 15 years in jail. All of them were awarded life sentences by the trial court. "Yes, absolutely," replied Malhotra when the panel host asked him if the Centre had given its approval as mandated as per rules for remission of sentence. "Absolutely... (approval) taken under the section 435 of CrPC. Please record my statement. I am saying this with full responsibility that the Centre government concurrence as required under the