New Delhi: Hon. Supreme Court today agreed to consider a plea challenging the grant of remission to 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano case. The court said it would look into a request to take up urgent hearing before a bench headed by Chief Justice of India NV Ramana. The plea has been filed by three petitioners including CPIM (M) leader Subhashini Ali and independent journalist Revati Laul. Amother petition has been filed by Trinamool Congress MO Mahua Moitra.
When the issue was raised in court, the CJI asked if the release was by the virtue of a Supreme Court order, to which advocate Aparna Bhat said the apex court had by an order issued by the Gujarat government.
Senior advocate, Kapil Sibal said the challenge was on the principles of remission. “We are all challenging the remission and not the Supreme Court order. The Supreme Court order is fine, My Lords. We are challenging the principles on the basis of which remission was granted”, said Mr. Sibal.
Bilkis Bano, who was pregnant in 2002, was gang-raped and her three-year old daughter Saleha was among the 14 killed by a mob in Dahod during violence that broke out across the state after Sabarmati Express attack. Earlier in 2008, a special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in Mumbai sentenced the eleven accused to life imprisonment on the charge of rape and murder of seven members of Bilkis Bano’s family. The decision was upheld by the Bombay High Court.