The Supreme Court asked the Gujarat government to furnish all the relevant records in the Bilkis Bano case, including the remission order to release the convicts.
AGENCIES
The Supreme Court on Friday asked the Gujarat government to file the entire record of the proceedings in the Bilkis Bano case, including the remission order given to the convicts. The top court has given the Gujarat government two weeks to produce all relevant records in the case.
Apex court was hearing petitions challenging the remission & release granted to 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano gangrape case. The pleas filed by CPI(M) leader Subhashini Ali and TMC MP Mahua Moitra. The top court
A bench of Justices Ajay Rastogi and BV Nagarathna was hearing the plea challenging the decision of the state to grant remission to 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano gangrape case and murder of fourteen members of her family during the 2002 Gujarat riots. The Supreme Court also asked the Gujarat government to file all the relevant documents including the remission order of the convicts in the case.
Notably, the 11 convicts who were sentenced to life imprisonment in the case were released last month. The convicts were set free under Gujarat’s remission policy after their application for remission of the sentence was allowed. They had been convicted in 2008 and were sentenced to life imprisonment on charges of rape and murder of her family members.
Earlier on August 25, a bench headed by then Chief Justice N V Ramana (retired) issued notices to the Centre and the Gujarat government on the pleas filed by CPI(M) and TMC leaders a day before demitting office.
The Supreme Court on August 25 agreed to hear Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra’s plea challenging the remission granted to 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano case. The court issued a notice to the Gujarat government and issued directions to implead the released convicts.
Bilkis Bano was 21 years old and five-month pregnant when she was gang-raped by these 11 convicts while she and her family were fleeing the riots that broke out after the Godhra train burning incident. Her three-year-old daughter was among the family members killed. The 11 convicted in the case walked out free after completing 15 years in jail from the Godhra sub-jail on August 15 after the Gujarat government allowed their release under its remission policy.
Are 11 rapists gone missing?
The 11 men who were released in the Bilkis Bano gang rape case on August 15 are believed to have gone missing. The Supreme Court is likely to take up this case for hearing on Friday 9th September after public outrage and pressure from social media.
A video report on the news portal ‘Mojo’ has gone viral that says all the 11 convicts freed, are either missing or have gone underground. According to the video the reporters of the news portal have visited the homes of the released persons and have found no sign of them in their given addresses. Their family members and neighbors too feign ignorance and do not provide any answer about their whereabouts.
This report comes a day before the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear two pleas challenging the release of 11 men in the Bilkins Bano rape case. There are fears that by the time the Apex Court gives its ruling on this issue, these men might be untraceable.
However, Rishi Malhotra, the lawyer representing the 11 convicts’ told the media that “First of all these men are not released on bail. They are freed after facing 14 years of a life sentence for their alleged crime. They are very much at their homes and there is no need for them to go underground.”
The lawyer objected to the media portrayal of these men as “missing” and said, “they just don’t want to face the media.” He assured that if they [are required to present at the court, they may be available.”
The 11 men were serving life terms for the gang-rape of Ms. Bano and the murder of seven of her family members. They were released on 15 August 2022; the same day India observed its 75th Independence Day.