Bilkis Bano Gangrape Case

SC to form bench to hear Bilkis Bano's plea against release of convicts

The Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to constitute a special bench to hear a plea by Bilkis Bano, who was gang-raped during the 2002 Gujarat riots, against the remission of sentence of 11 convicts in the case. A bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and justices PS Narasimha and JB Pardiwala assured Bano, represented through her lawyer Shobha Gupta, that the new bench will be formed. Gupta mentioned the matter for urgent hearing and said that a new bench needs to be constituted. "I will have a bench constituted. Will look at it this evening," the CJI said. Earlier, on January 24, the hearing on Bano's plea challenging the remission of sentence of 11 convicts in the gang-rape case by the Gujarat government could not be held in the top court as the judges concerned were hearing a matter related to passive euthanasia as part of a five-judge Constitution bench. Besides the plea challenging the release of the convicts, the gang-rape survivor had also filed a separate petition seeking

BJP's historic win, Morbi bridge, Bilkis case dominate Gujarat's 2022

The BJP's record 156-seat victory in the Gujarat Assembly polls, the collapse of a suspension bridge in Morbi killing 135 people, and the premature release of 11 convicts undergoing life term in the Bilkis Bano case on remission dominated the year 2022. The BJP's victory- the seventh consecutive term- mainly on the plank of development under a "double engine government", can potentially propel it ahead of opponents when the narratives for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls begin to set in. It was a rout for Congress which won only 17 seats while the new entrant Aam Aadmi Party bagged five seats. However, in at least 35 seats, the combined votes polled by candidates of the Congress and the AAP exceeded the votes polled by BJP nominees. Gujarat was rocked on October 30 when the British-era cable suspension bridge with a crowd of revellers enjoying the Diwali vacation collapsed into the Machchu river, killing 135 people and injuring several others. In July, hooch claimed 50 lives in Botad dist

Where will people go if they don't get justice from SC: DCW chief on Bilkis

When people do not get justice from the Supreme Court, where do they go, Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief Swati Maliwal asked on Saturday after the apex court dismissed a review plea filed by Bilkis Bano. Bano was gang-raped and seven members of her family were killed during the 2002 Gujarat riots. The Supreme Court has dismissed Bano's plea seeking a review of its earlier order by which it had asked the Gujarat government to consider the petitions for remission of the sentences of 11 convicts in the gang-rape case. "Supreme Court rejected Bilkis Bano's plea. Bilkis Bano was gang-raped when she was 21 years old, and her three-year-old son and six family members were murdered but Gujarat government freed all the rapists. If justice won't come from Supreme Court, where will people go?" Maliwal asked on Twitter. According to procedures, review pleas against apex court judgments are decided in chambers by circulation by the judges who were part of the judgment under review. Bano

SC dismisses Bilkis Bano's plea seeking review of its May 2022 order

The Supreme Court has dismissed a plea filed by Bilkis Bano, seeking a review of its earlier order by which it had asked the Gujarat government to consider the petitions for remission of sentences of 11 convicts in the gang-rape case. Bano was gang-raped and seven members of her family were killed during the 2002 Gujarat riots. According to procedures, review pleas against apex court judgments are decided in chambers by circulation by the judges who were part of the judgment under review. The review plea came up for in-chamber consideration on December 13 before a bench of justices Ajay Rastogi and Vikram Nath. "I am directed to inform you that the review petition above mentioned filed in Supreme Court was dismissed by the court on December 13, 2022," read a communication sent to Bano's counsel Shobha Gupta by the apex court's assistant registrar. The gang-rape survivor had sought a review of the top court's May 13 order on a plea moved by a convict. The top court had asked the s

SC refuses early set up of bench for Bilkis Bano's plea against convicts

The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to entertain submissions seeking an early setting up of a fresh bench to hear Bilkis Bano's plea challenging the remission of sentence of 11 convicts by the Gujarat government in her gang-rape case A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice P S Narasimha was urged by lawyer Shobha Gupta, appearing for Bano, that another bench was needed to be constituted to hear the case. The writ (petition) will be listed. Please, do not keep mentioning the same thing again and again. It is very irritating, the CJI said. Supreme Court judge Bela M Trivedi on Tuesday recused herself from hearing a plea filed by Bano. The CJI will now have to set up a fresh bench, to which Justice Trivedi will not be a part, to hear Bano's case. All the 11 convicts were granted remission by the state government and released on August 15 this year. Bilkis Bano was 21-years-old and five months pregnant when she was gang-raped while fleeing the riots that brok

SC to consider listing Bilkis Bano's plea against 2002 rape-murder convicts

Bilkis Bano on Wednesday challenged the remission of sentence and release of convicts in the 2002 rape and murder case filing a plea before the Supreme Court. The top court said it will consider listing the matter for hearing. A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice P S Narasimha took note of the submissions of lawyer Shobha Gupta that the victim herself has challenged the grant of remission and release of the convicts, and the matter be listed for hearing. She said that Justice Ajay Rastogi, who was part of the bench which had heard other similar pleas against the remission, was now part of a Constitution Bench hearing. "The review has to be heard first. Let it come before Justice Rastogi, the CJI said. When the counsel for Bano said let the matter be heard in open court, the bench said, "Only the court concerned can decide that." The CJI said that he would take a call on the issue in the evening. Earlier, a bench of justices Ajay Rastogi and C T Ravikumar

Bilkis Bano case: SC agrees to hear fresh plea challenging bail of convicts

The Supreme Court agreed on Friday to hear a fresh plea moved by a women's organisation, challenging the remission of sentence and the release of convicts in the 2002 Bilkis Bano gang-rape case, which also involves the killing of seven of her family members during the Gujarat riots. A bench of justices Ajay Rastogi and C T Ravikumar tagged the matter with the main petition and said it would be heard along with it. The top court was hearing a plea filed by the National Federation of Indian Women, challenging the remission of sentence and the release of convicts in the case. The court had, on October 18, said the Gujarat government's reply to petitions challenging the remission is very bulky, wherein a series of judgments have been quoted but factual statements are missing. It granted time to the petitioners to file their response to the Gujarat government's affidavit and said it will hear the matter on November 29. Bilkis Bano was 21 years old and five-month pregnant when she was .

Bilkis Bano case: SC to hear pleas against release of 11 convicts on Nov 29

The Supreme Court on Tuesday said it will hear on November 29 the pleas challenging the remission of sentence and release of 11 convicts in the 2002 Bilkis Bano gang-rape case and murder of her seven family members during the Gujarat riots. A bench of Justices Ajay Rastogi and 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 an "interloper" and a "busybody". It had also said that since the investigation in the case was carried out by the CBI, it had obtained "suitable orders" for grant of remission of the convicts from the Centre. Bilkis Bano was 21 years old and five-month pregnant

SC seeks entire record of proceedings of Bilkis Bano case from Gujarat govt

SC asked the Gujarat government to file the entire record of the proceedings in the Bilkis Bano case, including the remission order given to the 11 convicts

Students, activists protest Bilkis Bano convicts release at Jantar Mantar

CPI-Marxist-Leninist-backed AISA and several other organisations on Saturday staged a demonstration at Jantar Mantar against the release of 11 convicts by the Gujarat government in the Bilkis Bano case. The activists said that the decision to release the 11 convicts on 'remission' on August 15 was a slap on the constitutional values and secular fabric of the country. The protest was also joined by documentary filmmaker Gauhar Raza who recited Faiz Ahmed Faiz's nazm 'Chand Roz Aur'. "The pattern from Kathua to Unnao to Hathras and Gujarat is the same - rapists being shielded by the government," All India Students' Association (AISA) said in a statement. Kavita Krishnan, National Secretary of All India Progressive Women's Association (AIPWA), said the early release of the convicts was actually a reward for their heinous acts, which was evident in their garlanding. "This was a signal to the voters of Gujarat that the government of Gujarat and BJP-RSS stands with the rapists and ...

Rectify the wrong decision of Bilkis case remission: Ex-bureaucrats to CJI

More than 130 former civil servants on Saturday wrote an open letter to the Chief Justice of India (CJI) against the premature release of 11 men who were jailed in the gangrape case of Bilkis Bano and requested him to rectify this "horrendously wrong decision". They asked the CJI to rescind the order of remission passed by the Gujarat government and send the 11 persons convicted of gangrape and murder back to jail to serve out their life sentence. "Like the overwhelming majority of people in our country, we are aghast at what happened in Gujarat a few days ago, on the 75th anniversary of India's Independence, it said. Former Lieutenant Governor of Delhi Najeeb Jung, former Cabinet Secretary K M Chandrasekhar, former foreign secretaries Shivshankar Menon and Sujatha Singh and former Home Secretary G K Pillai were among the 134 signatories to the letter, written under the aegis of the Constitutional Conduct Group. Justice Uday Umesh Lalit was sworn in as the 49th Chief Justice of Ind

TMC's women wing protests release of 11 convicts in Bilkis Bano case

Members of the TMC women's wing hit the streets across West Bengal on Friday, protesting against the release of 11 convicts in the 2002 case of Bilkis Bano's gangrape and murder of her family members. Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya said releasing the convicts has set a dangerous precedent. "We are ashamed. Prime Minister Narendra Modi talks about 'nari shakti' and giving respect to women. Yet, his party members in Gujarat allow the convicts of the heinous crime to be released," she said. Bilkis Bano was 21 years old and five months pregnant when she was gang-raped while fleeing the riots that broke out after the Godhra train burning in 2002. Her three-year-old daughter was among the seven killed. The 11 men convicted in the case walked out of the Godhra sub-jail on August 15 after the Gujarat government allowed their release under its remission policy. They had completed more than 15 years in jail. The Trinamool Mahila Congress has been protesting since Thursday over a host of ..

Bilkis Bano case: A timeline of events

Wrong, unjust to felicitate accused in 2002 Bilkis Bano case: Fadnavis

The 11 convicts undergoing life sentences in the two decades old cases were set free on August 15, after spending 14 years in jail following an apex court order.

Some convicts in Bilkis case 'Brahmins with good sanskaar': Gujarat BJP MLA

Some of the convicts in the Bilkis Bano case of the 2002 are "Brahmins" with good 'sanskaar', said BJP MLA part of panel to recommended remission to all the 11 men found guilty

Country seeing difference between PM's words, deeds: Rahul on Bilkis case

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi targeted PM Narendra Modi over the release of the convicts in the Bilkis Bano case and said the entire country is seeing the difference between his words and deeds

Gujarat: Bilkis Bano's family surprised on release of 11 life term convicts

Husband of Bilkis Bano said they were surprised to know about the release of all 11 convicts sentenced to life imprisonment for her gang rape and murder of 7 members of her family during Gujarat riots

Bilkis case: HC begins final hearing on appeals by 11 convicts

CBI had also filed an appeal in the high court seeking death penalty for three of the 11 convicts