Bilkis Bano Case | SC Quashes Gujarat Govt’s Remission Order, 11 Convicts To Return To Jail

New Delhi : The Supreme Courtroom on Monday quashed the Gujarat authorities’s determination to grant remission to 11 convicts within the case of gangrape of Bilkis Bano and homicide of seven of her members of the family through the 2002 riots within the state, saying the orders had been “stereotyped” and handed with out software of thoughts.
A bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan directed the convicts to give up earlier than jail authorities inside two weeks.
Holding the PIL difficult the remission as maintainable, the bench mentioned the Gujarat authorities was not the suitable authorities to move the remission order.
The apex courtroom clarified that the State, the place an offender is tried and sentenced, is competent to resolve the remission plea of convicts. The convicts had been tried by Maharashtra.
“We’d like not have gone into the opposite points. However for sake of completion, we now have. Rule of regulation is breached as a result of the Gujarat authorities usurped energy not vested in it and abused its energy. On that floor additionally, the remission orders need to be quashed,” the bench mentioned whereas announcing the judgement which spanned over 100 pages.
The highest courtroom additionally held as ‘nullity’ its Might 13, 2022 order of one other bench asking the Gujarat authorities to contemplate remission plea of convicts because it was obtained by “enjoying fraud on the courtroom” and by suppressing materials details.
It mentioned this can be a traditional case the place the order of this courtroom was used to violate the rule of regulation by granting remission.
The highest courtroom mentioned Rule of regulation has been breached by usurpation of energy and Might 13, 2022 order has been used to usurp the powers and abuse the method of regulation.
“We strike down the remission orders on the bottom of usurpation of energy by Gujarat authorities,” the bench mentioned.
The apex courtroom had on October 12 final 12 months reserved its verdict after an 11-day listening to on the petitions, together with the one filed by Bano.
Whereas reserving the judgement, the apex courtroom had directed the Centre and the Gujarat authorities to submit by October 16 the unique information associated to the remission of sentence of the 11 convicts.
Whereas listening to the matter in September final 12 months, the highest courtroom had requested whether or not convicts have a basic proper to hunt remission.
Through the earlier arguments, the apex courtroom had noticed that state governments shouldn’t be selective in granting remission to convicts and the chance to reform and reintegrate with society ought to lengthen to each prisoner.
In addition to the petition filed by Bano contesting the remission granted to them by the Gujarat authorities, a number of different PILs, together with one by CPI(M) chief Subhashini Ali, unbiased journalist Revati Laul and former vice-chancellor of Lucknow College Roop Rekha Verma, have challenged the reduction.
TMC chief Mahua Moitra has additionally filed a PIL towards the remission and their untimely launch.
Bilkis Bano was 21-years-old and 5 months pregnant when she was raped whereas fleeing the horror of the communal riots that broke out after the Godhra train-burning incident. Her three-year-old daughter was among the many seven members of the family killed within the riots.
All 11 convicts had been granted remission by the Gujarat authorities and launched on August 15, 2022. (Companies)