'Sikh prisoners in jail for 3 decades', Manish Tewari seeks debate on remission policy
Darpan News Desk IANS, 16 Aug, 2022 10:54 AM
New Delhi, Aug 16 (IANS) A day after convicts in the infamous Bilkis Bano case were released, Congress leader Manish Tewari on Tuesday took up the case of Sikh prisoners languishing in jails and called for a uniformity in the definition of remission policy.
"There must be uniformity across the country about definition of life imprisonment & remissions permissible".
"While some convicts walk free after 15 years others languish in jail for 30 years or more?Classical case- Sikh Prisoners in jail for 03 decades," he said in a tweet.
All 11 life imprisonment convicts in the 2002 Bilkis Bano gang-rape case and murder of seven members of her family on Monday walked out of Godhra sub-jail after the Gujarat government allowed their release under its remission policy.
A special CBI court in Mumbai had sentenced the 11 accused to life imprisonment on the charge of gang-rape and murder of seven members of Bilkis Bano's family on January 21, 2008. The Bombay High Court had later upheld their conviction.
According to reports, the convicts had served more than 15 years in jail and one of them had approached the Supreme Court with a plea for premature release.
The apex court had directed the Gujarat government to look into the issue of remission of his sentence following which the government formed a committee.
Special Judge Anil Antil of Rouse Avenue Court noted that the accused Ankur Aggarwal along with his family had absconded and concealed himself for about 15 years in Canada and even after coming to India, he remained elusive for about three years or so.
Addressing a press conference here to highlight the letter written by Majithia's wife and Majitha legislator Ganieve Kaur Majithia to the DGP along with a copy to chief minister Bhagwant Mann, senior SAD leaders Maheshinder Singh Grewal and Daljit Singh Cheema demanded the immediate removal of Sidhu from the additional charge of the ADGP, Prisons, besides taking other necessary action in the case.
The Akal Takht Jathedar and Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) officials honoured the families of those who were killed during 'Operation Bluestar'. There was heavy barricading by police around all entry points to the Golden Temple.
According to the official, information was received on June 3 that two persons carrying a country-made pistol would come in a car at Jamia Nagar to meet their common friend.
Davinder Singh, aka Kala, was arrested on Sunday from Haryana's Fatehabad town. Two suspects involved in the killing -- Keshav and Charanjeet -- had stayed with him, police officials said.
What was the worst is that he went to admit his wife at a local hospital on Monday morning after his brutal attack but concealed the severed body part at his residence to make sure that the doctors are unable to reattach it.
