Supreme Court orders Gujarat govt to pay compensation to Bilkis Bao, provide job within two weeks

The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Gujarat government to pay gang-rape survivor Bilkis Bano a compensation of Rs 50 lakh, job, and accommodation within two weeks.

A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Rajan Gogoi and comprising Justices Sharad Arvind Bobde and S Abdul Nazeer passed the order after it was apprised by Bano's counsel, Shobha Gupta, that the amount was not paid to her client despite a direction by the apex court five months ago.

"She has yet not been paid by the Gujarat government," Shobha told the court.

In April, earlier this year, the top court had directed the state government to pay the compensatory amount, provide her with a job and accommodation as per the rules.

In March 2002 during post-Godhra riots, Bano was allegedly gang-raped and left to die with 14 members of her family, including her three-year-old daughter. She was five months pregnant when rioters attacked her family in Vadodara.