Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, Nov 30: Bilkis Bano has filed a writ petition challenging the remission of sentence and the release of 11 convicts in the 2002 gang-rape case who were earlier given life sentences.
Bano has also asked for a review of the Supreme Court’s order allowing the Gujarat Government to decide whether to commute the convicts’ sentences.
Bilkis Bano approaches Supreme Court, challenging the premature release of 11 convicts, who had gang-raped her & murdered her family members during the 2002 Godhra riots.Bano filed a review plea against the May order of SC which allowed Gujarat govt to apply 1992 Remission Policy pic.twitter.com/JKfXf55gr9
— ANI (@ANI) November 30, 2022
The petitions before Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud were mentioned by attorney Shobha Gupta speaking on behalf of Bano this morning. She expressed scepticism that the case would be heard by the panel headed by Justice Ajay Rastogi, who wrote the previous ruling allowing Gujarat to decide the remission plea. However, he is currently participating in a Constitution Bench hearing.
CJI Chandrachud stated, “The review has to be heard first. Let it come before Justice Rastogi.”
When Advocate Gupta submitted that the matter had to be heard in an open court, CJI added, “Only the court can decide that.“
After researching the situation this evening, CJI stated that he will make a decision regarding the listing.
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A bench chaired by Justice Rastogi had ruled in May 2022 that because the offence occurred in Gujarat, the Gujarat Government had the authority to evaluate the remission request. The Gujarat High Court had previously ruled that because the trial had been transferred from Gujarat to Mumbai, the State of Maharashtra needed to take the remission into account.
Later, all eleven prisoners were released on August 15, 2022. Images of the recently released prisoners receiving heroic welcomes went viral on social media, sparking outrage among various groups. In light of this, numerous PILs challenging the relief given to the convicts were filed in the Supreme Court.
