Supreme Court: Hearing on petitions challenging remission of punishment of convicts in Bilkis case completed, verdict reserved

A bench of Justices BV Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan heard the arguments of Bilkis Bano's counsel and counsel for the Centre, the Gujarat government and the petitioners in the PIL. After this, the court reserved its order on the petitions challenging the remission of the sentence of 11 convicts of Bilkis Bano gang rape and murder of seven members of her family.

The Supreme Court has reserved its order on petitions challenging the premature release of the convicts in the Bilkis Bano gang rape case. The court directed the Centre, Gujarat, to submit the original records related to the commutation of punishment of the convicts in the case by October 16.

A bench of Justices BV Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan, after hearing the arguments of Bilkis Bano's counsel and counsel for the Centre, the Gujarat government and the petitioners in the PIL, recommended remission of sentence to 11 convicts in the gang rape of Bilkis Bano and murder of seven members of her family. It reserved its order on the petitions challenging it.

Apart from Bilkis Bano's petition challenging the immunity given to the convicts by the Gujarat government, several other PILs were also filed, including by CPI(M) leader Subhashini Ali, independent journalist Revati Laul and former Lucknow University Vice-Chancellor Roop Rekha Verma. Were. TMC MP Mahua Moitra has also filed a PIL against the remission of sentence and premature release of the culprits.

What is the matter?
Bilkis Bano was gang-raped while fleeing the communal riots that broke out after the Godhra train burning. At that time, Bilkis Bano was 21 years old and five months pregnant. His three-year-old daughter was among the seven members of his family killed in the riots.