Editor's Pick: SC seeks Gujarat government’s reply in Bilkis Bano case

Amid the nationwide condemnation of Gujarat government’s decision to release 11 convicts jailed in the 2002 case of Bilkis Bano’s gang rape and murder of her family members, petitioners CPI(M) leader Subhashini Ali, independent journalist and filmmaker Revati Laul, and former philosophy professor and activist Roop Rekha Varma had challenged the decision in Supreme Court. On Thursday, the top court sought a response from the Gujarat government for granting remission to the convicts and gave them two weeks to file the reply. Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana headed the special three-judge bench that heard the petition. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal argued on behalf of the petitioners. Bilkis Bano was 21 years old and five months pregnant when she was gang-raped while trying to flee during the 2002 communal riots in Gujarat. Her three-year-old daughter Saleha and several family members were killed by the mob that attacked her. C.K. Raulji, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from Godhra who was a part of the State government panel that recommended remission to all the 11 men found guilty, said that some of them are “Brahmins” with good “sanskar” (values). Social media videos also showed that the convicts were offered sweets outside the prison. One of the convicts had moved the Supreme Court earlier this year after his remission plea in the Gujarat High Court was dismissed as the trial had concluded in Maharashtra. He urged the Supreme Court to admit his plea since he had undergone a sentence of more than 15 years without remission, as on April 1, 2022. The court admitted the plea and ruled that the Gujarat government was competent to examine it since the crime had occurred in the State. The Gujarat government used its 1992 remission policy, and not the updated 2014 version, to release the convicts. However, under the 2014 norms, a person convicted for gang rape and murder cannot be released prematurely. In a statement following the release of the convicts, Bilkis Bano appealed to the Gujarat government to “undo this harm”. “I trusted the highest courts in our land. I trusted the system, and I was learning slowly to live with my trauma. The release of these convicts has taken from me my peace and shaken my faith in justice,” she said. The convicts walked out of the jail on August 15 – the day when India completed 75 years of Independence, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi stressed on the need to respect women. Gujarat government’s response in the case will potentially be seen as an act that either supports or disregards the PM’s Independence Day statement. The BJP has also presented itself as a saviour of Muslim women through its stand on triple talaq, and the response by the BJP government in Gujarat in the Bilkis Bano case can prove crucial in stating the party’s future intentions. Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Head over to our newsletter subscription page to sign up for Editor‘s Pick and more. Click here The Hindu’s Editorials Rainbow of hope: On Tamil Nadu’s glossary of terms to address LGBTQIA+ community A perilous stalemate: On Russia-Ukraine conflict after six months The Hindu’s Daily Quiz Kais Saied is the President of which country? Yemen Egypt Libya Tunisia To find out the answer and play the full quiz, click here [logo] Editor's Pick 26 AUGUST 2022 [The Hindu logo] In the Editor's Pick newsletter, The Hindu explains why a story was important enough to be carried on the front page of today's edition of our newspaper. [Arrow]( [Open in browser]( [Mail icon]( [More newsletters]( SC seeks Gujarat government’s reply in Bilkis Bano case Amid the nationwide condemnation of Gujarat government’s decision to release 11 convicts jailed in the 2002 case of Bilkis Bano’s gang rape and murder of her family members, petitioners CPI(M) leader Subhashini Ali, independent journalist and filmmaker Revati Laul, and former philosophy professor and activist Roop Rekha Varma had challenged the decision in Supreme Court. On Thursday, the top court [sought a response]( from the Gujarat government for granting remission to the convicts and gave them two weeks to file the reply. Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana headed the special three-judge bench that heard the petition. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal argued on behalf of the petitioners. Bilkis Bano was 21 years old and five months pregnant when she was gang-raped while trying to flee during the 2002 communal riots in Gujarat. Her three-year-old daughter Saleha and several family members were killed by the mob that attacked her. C.K. Raulji, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from Godhra who was a part of the State government panel that recommended remission to all the 11 men found guilty, said that some of them are [“Brahmins” with good “sanskar”]( (values). Social media videos also showed that the convicts were offered sweets outside the prison. One of the convicts had moved the Supreme Court earlier this year after his remission plea in the Gujarat High Court was dismissed as the trial had concluded in Maharashtra. He urged the Supreme Court to admit his plea since he had undergone a sentence of more than 15 years without remission, as on April 1, 2022. The court admitted the plea and ruled that the Gujarat government was competent to examine it since the crime had occurred in the State. The Gujarat government used its 1992 [remission policy]( and not the updated 2014 version, to release the convicts. However, under the 2014 norms, a person convicted for gang rape and murder cannot be released prematurely. In a statement following the release of the convicts, Bilkis Bano appealed to the Gujarat government to “undo this harm”. “I trusted the highest courts in our land. I trusted the system, and I was learning slowly to live with my trauma. The release of these convicts has taken from me my peace and shaken my faith in justice,” she said. The convicts walked out of the jail on August 15 – the day when India completed 75 years of Independence, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi stressed on the need to respect women. Gujarat government’s response in the case will potentially be seen as an act that either supports or disregards the PM’s Independence Day statement. The BJP has also presented itself as a saviour of Muslim women through its stand on triple talaq, and the response by the BJP government in Gujarat in the Bilkis Bano case can prove crucial in stating the party’s future intentions. Was this newsletter forwarded to you? 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