New Delhi: Former finance minister Yashwant Sinha on Saturday said he did not approve of his son Jayant Sinha’s felicitation of eight men convicted in the Ramgarh lynching case in Jharkhand.
Taking to Twitter, Yashwant Sinha said, “Earlier I was the Nalayak Baap of a Layak Beta. Now the roles are reversed. That is twitter. I do not approve of my son’s action. But I know even this will lead to further abuse. You can never win.”
Earlier I was the Nalayak Baap of a Layak Beta. Now the roles are reversed. That is twitter. I do not approve of my son's action. But I know even this will lead to further abuse. You can never win. — Yashwant Sinha (@YashwantSinha) 7 July 2018
Jayant Sinha courted controversy when he welcomed and feted the eight men after they were released on bail on Thursday. Soon after the opposition accused him and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of fanning communal tensions deliberately, the Union minister defended himself in a series of tweets on Saturday, claiming that “he was honouring the due process of law”.
Sinha said he was “pleased” that the high court will now hear the matter as he had his "misgivings about the fast-track court judgment sentencing each accused to life imprisonment". Batting for the rule of law, Sinha said he rejects “any type of vigilantism” and “condemn all acts of violence”.
A mob of more than 100 cow vigilantes had on June 27 last year hacked cattle trader Alimuddin Ansari to death in broad daylight in Ramgarh area of Hazaribagh ditrict. Sinha represents the Hazaribagh seat in Lok Sabha.
The gruesome lynching had shook the nation and the case was handed over to a fast-track court, which on March 21 this year completed the hearing in a record five months and sentenced eleven accused to life imprisonment. All accused went to the Jharkhand High Court from where eight of them got bail on June 29, exactly a year after the incident. The life sentences handed to the eight men, including BJP functionary, were suspended by the high court in Jharkhand last week. The men walked out of the Jai Prakash Narain Central Jail and headed straight to the residence of Sinha, where the minister garlanded them. Responding to the outrage emanating from act of garlanding the accused men, Sinha took to Twiter to present his defence.
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
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
In the Ramgarh case, the Hon'ble Ranchi High Court, which is the first court of appeal, has suspended the sentence of the accused and released them on bail while admitting their case. The case will once again be re-heard. — Jayant Sinha (@jayantsinha) July 7, 2018
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
Lashing out at the minister, former Jharkhand CM and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader Hemant Soren told News18 that it was a very sensitive issue and what Sinha did was absolutely unbecoming of a union minister.
Jharkhand state Congress Chief Ajoy Kumar accused BJP of fanning communal sentiments as the Raghubar Das government in the state and Narendra Modi government at the Centre failed to deliver on their promises.
Jayant Sinha had questioned the manner in which the police investigated the case and demanded a CBI inquiry in April this year.
Justifying the welcome accorded to the convicts, BJP leader Amardeep Yadav said that Sinha always believed that they were innocents and framed in the case. “That’s why he provided legal and monetary assistance to them in his personal capacity. There is nothing wrong in supporting innocent people.”
Referring to the three other convicts, Yadav expressed hope that they too would get bail from the High Court as necessary paper work was under way. “Jayant Sinha personally examined the papers related to the case and interacted with lawyers”, claimed Yadav.
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