The Supreme Court on Tuesday said it will hear on November 29 the pleas challenging the remission of sentence and release of 11 convicts in the 2002 Bilkis Bano gang-rape case and murder of her seven family members during the Gujarat riots.
A bench of Justices Ajay Rastogi and C T Ravikumar directed that the reply filed by the Gujarat government be made available to all parties.
"A counter has been filed by the Gujarat government. Let counter affidavit be made available to all counsels," the bench said. The petitioners have been given time to file their reply to the affidavit filed by the Gujarat government.
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Gujarat govt lambasts petitioners challenging remission
The Gujarat government on Monday had told the apex court that petitioners challenging the remission are nothing but an "interloper" and a "busybody".
It had also said that since the investigation in the case was carried out by the CBI, it had obtained "suitable orders" for grant of remission of the convicts from the Centre.
The state government filed its reply on a PIL filed by CPI(M) leader Subhashini Ali, Revati Laul, an independent journalist, and Roop Rekha Verma, who is a former vice chancellor of the Lucknow University.
Rahul slams PM Modi for ‘supporting’ rapists
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Meanwhile, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday once again attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging that while there was talk of respect for women from the Red Fort, but in reality there was "support" for rapists.
"Talk of respect for women from the ramparts of the Red Fort but in reality support for 'rapists'," Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi. "The difference between the Prime Minister's promises and intentions is clear, PM has only betrayed women," he said.
Bilkis Bano case
Bilkis Bano was 21 years old and five months pregnant when she was gang-raped while fleeing the riots that broke out after the Godhra train burning incident in 2002. Her three-year-old daughter was among the seven family members killed.
The investigation in the case was handed over to the CBI and the trial was transferred to a Maharashtra court by the Supreme Court. A special CBI court in Mumbai had on January 21, 2008, sentenced the 11 men to life imprisonment on charges of gang-rape of Bilkis Bano and murder of her family members.
Their conviction was later upheld by the Bombay High Court and the Supreme Court. The convicts walked out free from 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.
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Their release has since evoked a strong reaction from civil society activists and political leaders, with potesters nationwide demanding a revocation of the remission order.
(With inputs from PTI)
