Bilkis Bano case: SC issues notice on plea against pre-mature release of 11 convicts

On a petition filed by Bilkis Bano challenging the premature release of 11 convicts who gang-raped her and murdered her family members during the 2002 Godhra riots, the Supreme Court issued notice to the Centre, the Gujarat government, and all the convicts on Monday.

The matter was scheduled for hearing on April 18 by a bench of Justices KM Joseph and BV Nagarathna. It requested that the Union and Gujarat governments have the relevant files granting remission to the convicts ready for the next date of hearing. The Supreme Court also ordered that the pleadings in the case be completed by the next hearing date.

The court decision, issued last week, was related to Rahul Gandhi’s Modi surname remarks made during an election rally in Karnataka in April 2019.

During the hearing, Justice Joseph asked, “We have before us many murder cases where convicts are languishing in jails for remission without years. Is this a case where standards have been applied uniformly as in other cases too?”

Previously, a bench of Justices Ajay Rastogi and Bela M Trivedi ordered that the matter be heard by a bench that does not include Justice Trivedi because she recused herself from hearing the case.

Bano had filed a review petition seeking a review of its earlier order in which it had asked the Gujarat government to consider the plea for the remission of one of the convicts, in addition to a petition against the pre-mature release of convicts.