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The Supreme Court will on Monday deliver its verdict on the pleas challenging the remission granted to the convicts in the Bilkis Bano gangrape case and the murder of seven of her family members during the 2002 Gujarat riots.
A bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan reserved the verdict on October 12 last year after an 11-day hearing on the petitions. One of the petitions has been filed by Bilkis Bano. Trinamool Congress leader Mahua Moitra has also filed a plea against the remission.
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What is Bilkis Bano case?
Bilkis Bano was gang-raped while she was fleeing the horrors of the 2002 Gujarat riots that broke out after the Godhra train-burning incident. Bilkis was 21 years old and five months pregnant at the time. Her three-year-old daughter was among the seven family members killed in the riots.
All 11 convicts were granted remission by the Gujarat government and released on Independence Day in 2022. The Gujarat government stated that they had allowed the remission of the convicts based on the 1992 policy. This policy has now been superseded by a law in 2014 that bars releases in capital offence cases.
The remission was approved by the Centre.
Bilkis Bano case verdict today: 5 things you should know
- After the release, Bilkis approached the apex court, challenging the premature release of the convicts.
- The Gujarat government stated that the convicts were released after they completed 14 years of sentence in prison, and their "behaviour was found to be good".
- During the hearing, the Supreme Court asked the Gujarat government and Centre about the selective application of the premature release policy for the remission of convicts serving jail terms.
- Advocate Shobha Gupta, appearing for Bilkis, said that the punishment should be proportional to the nature and seriousness of the crime. She said the state government showed "leniency" towards the convicts.
- Additional Solicitor General SV Raju said that all necessary compliances have been done before the release of the convicts in the Bilkis Bano case.
