The Supreme Court, while hearing the Gujarat government’s petition in the Bilkis Bano case, has refused to review the observations made, which the petition states were “against the state”.

Dismissing the plea, the apex court stated that it was satisfied that there exists no apparent error “on the face of the record or any merit in the review petitions” and thus warrants no reconsideration.

In January this year, the SC held that the petition filed by 2002 Gujarat riots victim Bilkis Bano against the premature release of 11 persons convicted of her gang-rape and murder of her family members is maintainable and directed them to “report back to the concerned jail authorities within a period of two weeks”.

While presiding over this case, the SC observed that “the state of Gujarat acted in tandem and was complicit with Respondent No3/accused”.

In a subsequent petition filed in February, the Gujarat government requested a review by the apex court on the statements it made while quashing the remission order.

The state pleaded that these remarks were “not only highly inappropriate and contradictory to the case record but had also caused significant harm to the state”.

Notably, 11 men were convicted for charges of gang-rape and mass murder that occurred during the 2002 Gujarat riots, post the train burning incident in Godhra. Bilkis Bano, then a 21-year-old and pregnant, was raped, and her family members were murdered during the riot.

The 11 convicts, who completed 15 years in jail, were granted remission by the Gujarat government in August 2023 under the state’s remission policy.

Alongside Bano, this move was challenged by prominent figures in the SC, including CPI(M) leader Subhashini Ali, Trinamool Congress leader Mahua Moitra, the National Federation of Indian Women, and Asma Shafique Shaikh, among others.

(With inputs from syndicated feed)

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Bilkis Bano case: SC says convicts must report back to jail within 2 weeks

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