Congress leader Rahul Gandhi Monday slammed the BJP over the Supreme Court quashing the Gujarat government's decision to grant remission to 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano case, saying the verdict has shown once again who the "protector of criminals" is.

Earlier in the day, the apex court said the Gujarat government abused its power in grating the remission to the men convicted of gang-raping Bilkis Bano and murdering seven of her family members during the 2002 riots, and ordered that they be sent back to jail within two weeks.

The Gujarat government's remission order was without application of mind, a bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan said and asked whether "heinous crimes against women permit remission" whatever faith she may follow or creed she may belong to.

In a post in Hindi on 'X', Gandhi said, "The tendency to 'murder justice' for electoral gains is dangerous for a democratic system. Today, the Supreme Court's decision once again showed the country who gives 'patronage to criminals'." "Bilkis Bano's tireless struggle symbolises the victory of justice against the arrogant BJP government," the former Congress chief added.

Bilkis Bano was 21 years old and five months pregnant when she was raped while fleeing the horror of the communal riots that broke out after the Godhra train burning incident in February 2002. Her three-year-old daughter was among the seven family members killed.

All 11 convicts were granted remission by the Gujarat government and released on August 15, 2022.

Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Telegraph Online staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.