Chief Justice of India NV Ramana on Tuesday said he would look into the remission of the 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano case after a plea challenging the direction by the Gujarat High Court was mentioned in his court.
The remission has triggered widespread condemnation from civil groups, especially Muslims.
The Gujarat government on August 15 released 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano murder and gangrape case of 2002 under its remission and premature release policy after one of the convicts, Radheshyam Shah, moved the Supreme Court.
CJI was responding to a petition filed by Subhashini Ali, a member of the Communist Party of India(Marxist), journalist Revati Laul and Professor Roop Rekha Verma.
TMC MP Mahua Moitra also filed a Public Interest Litigation in the Supreme Court.
Moitra’s PIL states that the victim has legitimate apprehensions regarding the safety of her and her family members, reports LiveLaw.
According to reports, the convicts also got “frequent paroles” during their term. The rapists were garlanded when they were released from Godra sub-jail by Hindutva groups and felicitated by Vishwa Hindu Parishad.
The PIL also mentions that the case was investigated by the CBI and thus, the Gujarat government has no power to grant remission/premature release under Section 432 CrPC without the express concurrence of the Central Government.
The 11 Hindu men were convicted in 2008 by a sessions court in Mumbai for gang rape of Bilkis Bano and the murder of 14 of her family members, including her three-year-old daughter during the 2002 Gujarat genocide.
