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 when she was gang-raped while fleeing the riots that broke out after the Godhra train burning incident. Her three-year-old daughter was among the seven family members killed.

The 11 men convicted in the case walked out free from 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.

A special judge had also opposed the release, it showed, as he noted that "the crime was committed only on the ground that the victims belong to a particular religion. In this case, even minor children were not spared.", reported NDTV

"This is worst form of hate crime and crime against the humanity. It affects the conscious of society," said Special Judge Anand L Yawalkar in a letter to the Superintendent of the Godhra sub-jail in March last year.