New Delhi: The Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Monday welcomed the Supreme Court judgment quashing the Gujarat government’s decision to grant remission to 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano case, with party leader Brinda Karat calling it a “hard slap” on the face of the state government.

The politburo of the Left party welcomed the court verdict “nailing down the Gujarat government’s illegal action” of granting remission to the 11 convicts who were sentenced to life for raping pregnant Bilkis Bano and killing seven of her family members during the 2002 Gujarat “communal carnage”.

“The court has categorically asked the convicts to surrender back to prison within two weeks,” it pointed out.

Press Trust of India