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Bilkis Bano case: SC to hear petitions against release of convicts on Nov 29
The apex court has given the petitioners time to file their reply to the affidavit filed by the Gujarat government, which states that those challenging the remission are nothing but “interlopers” and “busybodies”.
FILE IMAGE OF BILKIS BANO/PTI
The Supreme Court said on Tuesday, October 18, that it will hear on November 29 the pleas challenging the remission of sentence and release of 11 convicts in the 2002 Bilkis Bano case, which involved the gangrape of Bilkis and the murder of seven of her family members during the Gujarat riots. A bench comprising Justice Ajay Rastogi and Justice C T Ravikumar directed that the reply filed by the Gujarat government be made available to all parties.
The petitioners have been given time to file their reply to the affidavit filed by the Gujarat government. “A counter has been filed by the Gujarat government. Let counter affidavit be made available to all counsels,” the bench said.
The Gujarat government on Monday had told the apex court that petitioners challenging the remission are nothing but “interlopers” and “busybodies”. It had also said that since the investigation in the case was carried out by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), it had obtained “suitable orders” for grant of remission of the convicts from the Union government. The convicts were released as they had “completed 14 years and above in prison… their behaviour was found to be good”.
Bilkis Bano was 21 years old and five-months pregnant when she was gang-raped while fleeing the communal riots that broke out in the wake of the Godhra train burning incident. Her three-year-old daughter was among the seven family members who were killed.
The 11 men convicted in the case walked out free from the Godhra sub-jail on August 15, after the Gujarat government allowed their release under its remission policy. This happened after the SC, while deciding a plea filed by one of the convicts, had said on May 13 that the government of Gujarat, where the offence was committed, was the “appropriate government” to decide his prayer for premature release as per Gujarat’s 1992 remission policy.
The petitioners have been given time to file their reply to the affidavit filed by the Gujarat government. “A counter has been filed by the Gujarat government. Let counter affidavit be made available to all counsels,” the bench said.
The Gujarat government on Monday had told the apex court that petitioners challenging the remission are nothing but “interlopers” and “busybodies”. It had also said that since the investigation in the case was carried out by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), it had obtained “suitable orders” for grant of remission of the convicts from the Union government. The convicts were released as they had “completed 14 years and above in prison… their behaviour was found to be good”.
Bilkis Bano was 21 years old and five-months pregnant when she was gang-raped while fleeing the communal riots that broke out in the wake of the Godhra train burning incident. Her three-year-old daughter was among the seven family members who were killed.
The 11 men convicted in the case walked out free from the Godhra sub-jail on August 15, after the Gujarat government allowed their release under its remission policy. This happened after the SC, while deciding a plea filed by one of the convicts, had said on May 13 that the government of Gujarat, where the offence was committed, was the “appropriate government” to decide his prayer for premature release as per Gujarat’s 1992 remission policy.