Bilkis Bano case Live Updates: Supreme Court to pronounce verdict on remission granted to gangrape convicts

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Bilkis Bano case Live Updates: The Supreme Court is expected to deliver a verdict today on the Bilkis Bano case, which involves petitions challenging the remission granted to 11 convicts. The case filed against 11 convicts during 2002 Gujarat riots, that broke out after the Godhra train-burning incident, involved convictions on charges on gangrape of Bilkis Bano and murder of seven of her family members.The gangrape victim Bilkis Bano was 21 years old and five months pregnant when the incident took place while fleeing communal riots.

All 11 convicts who were involved in murder of Bilkis Bano's daughter as well as 6 other family members were granted remission by the Gujarat government and were released on August 15, 2022. In September, the top court had questioned whether the convicts have a fundamental right to seek remission and the opportunity to reform and reintegrate with society should extend to such convicts.Earlier on October 12, a bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan reserved its verdict over the petitions filed by Bilkis Bano.

However, the top court had directed the Centre and the Gujarat government to submit the original records related to the remission of sentence while reserving the judgement by October 16.The petition filed by Bilkis Bano contested the remission granted to the convicts by the Gujarat government over which the top court pointed out that state governments should not be selective in granting remission. A number of PILs challenged the relief given to convicts including the one by CPI(M) leader Subhashini Ali, TMC leader Mahua Moitra, independent journalist Revati Laul and former vice-chancellor of Lucknow University Roop Rekha Verma.Bilkis Bano case Live Updates: Supreme Court bench