Bilkis Bano case hearing: The Supreme Court on Monday (July 17) fixed August 7 for the start of the final hearing on the pleas challenging the Gujarat government’s remission granted to all 11 convicts last year in the Bilkis Bano gang rape case and the murder of her family members during the 2002 Gujarat riots.
A bench of justices BV Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan said that the pleadings have been completed and that notices have been served to all convicts.
"We hold that pleadings in the matter are complete and all the respondents have been served notices in all the cases though newspaper publications or directly. We list the matter for a final hearing on August 7. All parties should file short written submissions, synopsis, and list of dates," the bench said.
The Supreme Court, on May 9, had directed the publication of notices in the local newspapers, against the convicts who could not be served notices, including the one whose house was found by the local police to be locked and his phone switched off.
Remission to convicts
The Gujarat government had granted remission to all 11 convicts who were released on August 15 last year. The victim had filed a writ petition challenging the government’s move.
Several other PILs including one by CPI(M) leader Subhashini Ali, an independent journalist, and former vice-chancellor of the Lucknow University Roop Rekha Verma were filed against the remission.
TMC MP Mahua Moitra also had filed a PIL against the release.
Bano was 21 years old, and five months pregnant, when she was gang raped while fleeing from the riots that broke out after the Godhra train-burning incident. Her three-year-old daughter was among seven family members killed in the riots.
(With PTI inputs)
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