Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, Aug 25: The Supreme Court on Thursday sought the Gujarat government’s answer to a petition challenging the State’s decision to grant remission to 11 convicts who had gang raped Bilkis Bano and killed her family members during the 2002 Godhra riots.
The State was given notice, and a bench consisting of Chief Justice of India (CJI) NV Ramana and Justices Ajay Rastogi and Vikram Nath further ordered that the eleven convicts be impleaded as parties.
“Issue notice. File your reply. We direct the 11 convicts to be impleaded in the case,” the Court said.
Jaswant Nai, Govind Nai, Shailesh Bhatt, Radhyesham Shah, Bipin Chandra Joshi, Kesarbhai Vohania, Pradeep Mordhiya, Bakabhai Vohania, Rajubhai Soni, Mitesh Bhatt, and Ramesh Chandana are the 11 criminals who have been freed.
The convicts are eligible for remission under the Gujarat Rules, and whether there was the application of mind in this case for granted remission, the court stated during the hearing.
“We have to see whether there was application of mind in this case while granting remission. Are you saying remission cannot be granted,” the Court asked.
“We only want to see if application of mind was there,” replied petitioner counsel Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal.
CPI(M) leader Subhasini Ali, independent journalist and filmmaker Revati Laul, and former philosophy professor and activist Roop Rekh Varma filed the plea with the Supreme Court.
Bilkis Bano case | SC says – question is, under Gujarat rules, are the convicts entitled to remission or not? We've to see whether there was application of mind in this case while granting remission, SC says.
SC directs petitioners to make 11 convicts party in the case here. pic.twitter.com/sMTa4ZxruS
— ANI (@ANI) August 25, 2022
According to reports, Gujarat Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Raj Kumar stated that the prisoners were freed because they had served “14 years” in prison as well as other considerations including “age, nature of the crime, behaviour in prison, and so on.”
Notably, Bano was gang-raped during the riots of 2002, and her three-year-old daughter was one among the twelve persons who were murdered by a mob in the Gujarati district of Dahod’s Limkheda taluka.
