SC to consider plea challenging remission granted to 11 convicts in Bilkis Bano case

 New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to consider the listing plea challenging grant of remission by Gujarat government to 11 convicts in Bilkis Bano case.

Chief Justice of India C J Ramana 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. Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra moved the apex court challenging the release of all 11 convicts, Live Law reported.

The 11 convicts walked out of the Godhra sub-jail on August 15 after the Gujarat government allowed their release under its remission policy. They had completed more than 15 years in jail.
A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in Mumbai on January 21, 2008, sentenced the 11 to life imprisonment on charges of gangrape and murder of seven members of Bilkis Bano’s family. Their conviction was later upheld by the Bombay High Court.

Bilkis Bano was 21 years old and five months pregnant when she was gang-raped while fleeing the violence that broke out after the Godhra train burning. Among those killed was her three-year-old daughter.