SC To Deliver Verdict On Pleas Challenging Remission Granted To Convicts Today

New Delhi: The Supreme Court is scheduled to announce its verdict on several petitions challenging the Gujarat government's decision to grant early release to convicts involved in the gang rape of Bilkis Bano and the murder of her family members during the 2002 Gujarat riots today.

According to the causelist available on the apex court's website, a special bench comprising Justices B.V. Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan will deliver the judgment on January 8.

Bilkis Bano Case: Key Points

At the age of 21, Bilkis Bano, five months pregnant, endured a harrowing gang rape while fleeing the horrors of communal riots sparked by the Godhra train-burning incident. Tragically, her three-year-old daughter was among the seven family members killed during the riots.

In a hearing last September, the Supreme Court raised the question of whether convicts possess a fundamental right to seek remission. On October 12, while reserving judgment, the top court directed the Centre and the Gujarat government to submit the original records related to the remission of sentence for the 11 convicts by October 16.

During earlier arguments, the court emphasized that state governments should not selectively grant remission to convicts, asserting that the opportunity for reform and reintegration into society should be extended to every prisoner.

Apart from Bano's petition challenging the remission granted by the Gujarat government, several other PILs, including one by CPI(M) leader Subhashini Ali, independent journalist Revati Laul, and former vice-chancellor of Lucknow University Roop Rekha Verma, have contested the relief. Trinamool Congress leader Mahua Moitra has also filed a PIL against the remission and the premature release of the convicts.