CBI and a special court had opposed the release of the Bilkis Bano rapists. (File)
The 11 men convicted for the gang rape of Bilkis Bano and the killing of her family were out of the jail for over a thousand days on parole while serving life sentences, showed a court document.
One of them was out of the jail for over 1,500 days before the convicts walked free this Independence Day. Rameshbhai Rupabhai Chandana enjoyed 1,198 days of parole leave and 378 days of furlough (short-term temporary release of convicts from jail), amounting to a total 1,576 days outside the jail. Two others were outside for more than 1,200 days, the document showed.
The convicts were prematurely released earlier this year after the Centre's approval, the Gujarat government told the Supreme Court, even though the Central Bureau of Investigation and a special court had opposed their release for committing the "heinous" crime.
The home ministry's clearance came on July 11, within two weeks of the state government seeking its approval, the documents showed. Their release triggered a political storm with opposition barbs directed at the BJP government in Gujarat.
Three petitions challenging the release of the convicts are now being heard by the Supreme Court.
In its affidavit to the Supreme Court, the Gujarat government said the convicts were in jail for 14 years and their behaviour was found to be good.
The CBI last year opposed their premature release stating they committed an offence that was "heinous, grave and serious", documents showed.
A special judge had also opposed the release, it showed, as he noted that "the crime was committed only on the ground that the victims belong to a particular religion. In this case, even minor children were not spared."
"This is worst form of hate crime and crime against the humanity. It affects the conscious of society," said Special Judge Anand L Yawalkar in a letter to the Superintendent of the Godhra sub-jail in March last year.
Bilkis Bano was just 21 when she was gang-raped by a mob and 14 members of her family, including her three-year-old daughter, were killed. The convicts were sentenced to life term in jail by a special court in Mumbai, which was later upheld by the Bombay High Court.