Rs 50-lakh compensation for Bilkis Bano

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 23  

The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the Gujarat government to give Rs 50 lakh compensation, accommodation and a job to Bilkis Bano, who was gang-raped during the 2002 riots that broke out following the Godhra train incident that claimed lives of 58 ‘kar sewaks’ in the state.

Bilkis Bano was gang-raped while she was pregnant and lost seven of her family members in the riots that erupted after the Godhra incident. Her family was attacked by a mob at Randhikpur village near Ahmedabad on March 3, 2002, during the riots.

A special court had on January 21, 2008, convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment 11 men in the case and the Bombay High Court had in May 2017 upheld the trial court’s verdict. 

Seven persons — five policemen and two doctors — were held guilty of not performing their duties and tampering with evidence.  

Bano had earlier refused to accept the offer of Rs 5 lakh and requested the court to direct the state to grant her exemplary compensation and take action against the erring officials.

Earlier, the top court rejected appeals of two doctors and four policemen, including an IPS officer, against the Bombay High Court’s order convicting them in the case, saying there was “clear-cut evidence” against them. 

On Tuesday, the Gujarat government told a Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi that action had been taken against erring police officials. The state’s counsel said their pension benefits have been stopped and the IPS officer had been demoted by two ranks.

The top court had on March 29 asked the government to take disciplinary action within two weeks against erring officials.

Victim’s counsel Shobha Gupta earlier told the court that no action had been taken by the state government against the officials convicted by the High Court.  She had contended that Bano has been leading almost a nomadic life after being subjected to gruesome crime and therefore exemplary compensation should be granted.