Bilkis Bano Gangrape case: SC to hear plea against remission to 11 convicts

A batch of petitions will be heard on March 27 by the Supreme Court challenging the remission of the sentence of 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano gang rape case, which also involves the execution of seven of her family members in the 2002 Gujarat riots.

Bano's writ petition and the arguments made by several political and civil rights activists will be heard by a bench of justices KM Joseph and BV Nagarathna.

On March 22, Chief Justice DY Chandrachud ordered that the case be listed urgently and agreed to the formation of a fresh bench to hear the group of appeals.

A bench consisting up of justices Ajay Rastogi and Bela M. Trivedi took up the appeal submitted by Bano and the other arguments on January 4. But Justice Trivedi declined to hear the matter without providing a justification.

On November 30 of the previous year, Bano filed a petition with the supreme court protesting the state government's "premature" release of 11 lifers, claiming it "shaken the conscience of society."

The gang rape victim had filed a second petition seeking a review of the apex court's May 13, 2022, ruling on a plea by a convict in addition to the suit challenging the release of the convicts. In December of last year, the review request was subsequently rejected.

On August 15 of last year, the Gujarati government freed all 11 prisoners after granting them mercy.

In her ongoing writ petition, the victim claims that the state government passed a "mechanical order" that completely ignored the Supreme Court-established legal requirements.