- Monday, January 13, 2025
By: Shubham Ghosh
Amid a growing outrage across India over the early release of 11 men convicted of gang-raping Bilkis Bano and murdering several members of her family during the 2002 Gujarat riots, the country’s Supreme Court on Thursday (25) sought the state government’s response on a plea challenging the release.
A bench headed by chief justice NV Ramana asked the petitioners to implead the men who were granted remission. It also posted the matter for hearing after two weeks.
Three pubic interest litigations — by Subhashini Ali, a member of the politburo of the Communist Party of India (Marxist); Mahua Moitra, member of parliament from the Trinamool Congress and another — were filed in the apex court questioning the remission and consequent release of the 11 convicts on August 15.
Gujarat is ruled by prime minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party and Modi himself was the chief minister of the state when the riots broke out.
The release of the convicts caused a massive controversy and their felicitation by Hindu right-wing people added fuel to fire. It was even said that the men were Brahmins with “good sanskar” (culture).
“Did they ask the judge under whom the case was heard? I can tell you that I heard nothing regarding this… In such cases, the state government needs to take advice from the central government as well. Did they do that? I have no idea. If they did, what did the central government say,” retired judge UD Salvi, who conducted the convicts’ trial in 2008 , said in an exclusive interview to NDTV.
Bano and her family were shell shocked by the release. She said the move shook her faith in the justice system.
Her three-year-old daughter was killed during the riots and she was five-month pregnant at the time of the rape.
