Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, March 22: The Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to set up a special bench to hear Bilkis Bano’s appeal against the premature release of 11 convicts.
Bano, who was represented by Shobha Gupta, was assured by a bench consisting of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, Justices PS Narasimha, and JB Pardiwala that a fresh bench will be formed for this case.
Gupta stated that the case needed to be heard immediately and that a fresh bench needed to be assembled.
“I will have a bench constituted. Will look at it this evening,” the CJI said.
Earlier on January 24, the hearing on Bano’s petition challenging the Gujarat government’s decision to commute the sentences of 11 gang-rape defendants was postponed because the justices involved were members of a five-judge Constitution panel considering a case involving passive euthanasia.
The gang rape victim had filed a second petition seeking a review of the highest court’s May 13, 2022 ruling on a plea by a convict in addition to the suit challenging the release of the convicts.
Also, seven members of Bilkis Bano’s family were killed in the riots in Gujarat in 2002.
The state government was instructed by the top court in its May 13, 2022 judgement to assess a convict’s request for early release in accordance with its July 9, 1992 policy, which was in effect at the time of the conviction, and make a decision within two months.
On August 15 of last year, the Gujarat government released all 11 prisoners after granting them pardons. Nevertheless, the supreme court rejected Bano’s review request against the May 13, 2022 ruling in December of last year.
