SC dismisses Gujarat riot victim Bilkis Bano's review petition on early release of her rapists

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court, on Saturday (Dec 17), dismissed gangrape victim Bilkis Bano's petition to review its earlier order by which it had asked the Gujarat government to consider the plea for the remission of convicts under the 1992 policy as reported by ANI.

What was Bilkis Bano's review petition?

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 state government to consider the plea for a premature release of the convicts in terms of its policy of July 9, 1992 about deciding a remission petition within a period of two months.

All 11 convicts were granted remission by the Gujarat government and released on August 15.

Bilkis Bano case

Bilkis Bano was a 21-year-old pregnant woman who was gangraped while fleeing the 2002 Gujarat riots that occurred after the Godhra train burning incident. During the attack, her three-year-old daughter and seven other family members were killed. The investigation into the case was later handed over to the CBI, and the trial was transferred to a court in Maharashtra by the Supreme Court.

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In January 2008, a special CBI court in Mumbai sentenced 11 men to life imprisonment for their involvement in the attack. Their convictions were later upheld by the Bombay High Court and the Supreme Court.

However, on August 15, these 11 men were released from the Godhra sub-jail after the Gujarat government applied its remission policy, as they had served more than 15 years in prison.

(With agency inputs)