Union Minister Jayant Sinha garlands 8 lynching convicts after release on bail
Jayant Sinha said he had ‘misgivings’ about the trial of the men convicted by a fast-track court.
Ranchi: Union Minister Jayant Sinha has found himself in a tight spot after pictures of him garlanding eight men convicted for killing a meat trader last year in Jharkhand were widely circulated on social media.
In the picture, Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation is seen garlanding the convicts in the Ramgarh lynching case in Jharkhand at his residence.
n March this year, a fast track court convicted 11 people for lynching. However, last week, the Jharkhand High Court suspended the life sentence of eight persons.
Speaking to ANI, Sinha said, “When these people got bail, they came to my house, I wished them well. Let law take its own course in the future, the accused will be punished and those innocent will be set free.”
Maintaining his stand, Sinha, in a series of tweets said that he condemned such acts. However, he had ‘misgivings’ about the trial of the men convicted by a fast-track court.
I unequivocally condemn all acts of violence and reject any type of vigilantism. The rule of law is supreme in our constitutional democracy. Any unlawful acts, particularly those that violate the rights of any citizen, should be punished with the full force of the law.
— Jayant Sinha (@jayantsinha) July 7, 2018
I have repeatedly expressed my misgivings about the Fast-Track Court judgement sentencing each accused to life imprisonment. I am pleased that the Hon'ble High Court will hear the matter as a statutory court of appeal to test the correctness of the Fast-Track Court order.
— Jayant Sinha (@jayantsinha) July 7, 2018
I have full faith in our judicial system and the rule of law. Unfortunately, irresponsible statements are being made about my actions when all that I am doing is honoring the due process of law. Those that are innocent will be spared and the guilty will be appropriately punished.
— Jayant Sinha (@jayantsinha) July 7, 2018
Jharkhand’s leader of opposition Hemant Soren slammed the civil aviation minister for his negligence and tweeted ‘This is despicable’. In the tweet, he also tagged Sinha’s alma mater, the prestigious Harvard University.
This is truly despicable. @Harvard Your alumnus @jayantsinha felicitating the accused in cow related lynching death in India. Is this what @Harvard stands for? https://t.co/DJh8XRtoXl
— Hemant Soren (@HemantSorenJMM) July 6, 2018
Calling the incident “unbelievably shameful,” Congress’ youth wing called out the BJP representative at a time when 27 people have fallen prey to mob lynching across the country.
Unbelievably shameful!
27 people in 10 states have fallen victim to lynching and here we have a BJP lawmaker @jayantsinha happily welcoming lynching convicts with sweets and garlands! What kind of a representative of the people are you? #SaveIndia #BharatBachao pic.twitter.com/c7Pup8wO1a
— Youth Congress (@IYC) July 6, 2018
The eight men were earlier convicted by a lower court of lynching a man named Alimuddin Ansari, 40, on June 29 last year in Jharkhand’s Ramgarh.
Alimuddin was lynched on the suspicion that he was transporting beef in his vehicle, which in turn was later set on fire.
The minister met the convicts at an event organised by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to welcome the high court’s bail order and felicitate the convicts.
Speaking at the event, BJP MLA Shankar Choudhary said advocate BB Tripathi, who represented the eight men for the bail plea, was like a god and helped them get bails.
A total of 12 people were accused in the Ramgarh lynching case. Eleven of them have been held guilty and awarded death sentence by a fast-track court. The 12th person is a minor and his trial is being conducted in a juvenile court.
