Bilkis Bano case: SC to deliver verdict on pleas against remission granted to convicts on Monday
New Delhi, Jan 6: The Supreme Court is scheduled to pronounce on Monday its verdict on the petitions challenging the remission granted to 11 convicts in the case of gangrape of Bilkis Bano and murder of seven of her family members during the 2002 Gujarat riots.
A bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan had on October 12 last year reserved its verdict after an 11-day hearing on the petitions, including the one filed by Bano.
While reserving the judgement, the apex court had directed the Centre and the Gujarat government to submit by October 16 the original records related to the remission of sentence of the 11 convicts.
While hearing the matter in September last year, the top court had asked whether convicts have a fundamental right to seek remission.
During the earlier arguments, the apex court had observed that state governments should not be selective in granting remission to convicts and the opportunity to reform and reintegrate with society should extend to every prisoner.
Besides the petition filed by Bano contesting the remission granted to them by the Gujarat government, several other PILs, including one by CPI(M) leader Subhashini Ali, independent journalist Revati Laul and former vice-chancellor of Lucknow University Roop Rekha Verma, have challenged the relief.
TMC leader Mahua Moitra has also filed a PIL against the remission and their premature release.
Bilkis Bano was 21 years old and five months pregnant when she was gang-raped while fleeing the horror of the communal riots that broke out after the Godhra train-burning incident. Her three-year-old daughter was among the seven family members killed in the riots.
All 11 convicts were granted remission by the Gujarat government and released on August 15, 2022.
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Ghaziabad: A 26-year-old woman from Ghaziabad has filed a complaint against her husband and in-laws, accusing them of harassment, body shaming, and demanding dowry. In her complaint, the woman alleges that her husband repeatedly told her she should resemble Bollywood actor Nora Fatehi and body-shamed her for not meeting these expectations.
The woman, a resident of Muradnagar, was married six months ago, with her family reportedly spending over Rs 76 lakh on the wedding. In addition to the lavish wedding, the woman’s family gifted her husband a Mahindra Scorpio, along with cash and jewellery. Despite these expenses, the woman claims her in-laws continued to harass her, demanding more dowry.
The complainant, whose husband is a physical education teacher at a government school, further alleges that he frequently body-shamed her, calling her “fat and ugly.” He allegedly insisted that she exercise for three hours a day, and when she failed to comply, she was deprived of food.
The situation took a darker turn when the woman found she was pregnant two months ago. According to her statement, she informed her mother-in-law, but received no response or support. The woman reportedly claims that her husband later gave her a pill, which she later identified online as being used for abortions. She alleges that when her health began to deteriorate, her in-laws sent her back to her parents’ home. After seeking medical attention, she was informed by doctors that she had suffered a miscarriage.
She also alleged that her husband frequently watched inappropriate content online and was a habitual womaniser.
Assistant Commissioner of Police Saloni Agarwal confirmed that an FIR has been filed at the women’s police station in Ghaziabad and an investigation is underway.
