SC dismisses Bilkis Bano's review plea against remission to convicts

New Delhi, December 17

The Supreme Court has dismissed Bilkis Bano’s petition seeking review of its verdict asking the Gujarat Government to consider petitions on remission of sentences and premature release of 11 men convicted of raping her and killing her family members in 2002.

Writ petition pending

Her writ petition against remission pending before top court, which has already issued notice to Gujarat on plea by activists

Bano’s separate petition challenging the remission of the sentences of the convicts by the Gujarat Government is pending before the Supreme Court, which had on August 25 issued notice to the Gujarat Government on a petition filed by CPI(M) leader Subhashini Ali, filmmaker Revati Laul and Prof Roop Rekha Verma, challenging the premature release of the convicts. On September 9, a fresh petition was filed by TMC MP Mahua Moitra against the remission.

In its May 13 order, the top court had asked the state government to consider the plea of a convict for premature release in terms of its July 9, 1992, policy applicable on the date of conviction, and decide it in two months. Bano’s review petition was taken up on December 13 by a Bench of Justice Ajay Rastogi and Justice Vikram Nath which chose to reject it.

“In our opinion, there appears no error apparent on the face of record, which may call for review of the judgment dated May 13, 2022, and as regards the judgments on which the reliance has been placed, none of the judgments are of any assistance to the review petitioner…no case for review is made out. The review petition is accordingly dismissed,” the Bench said in its order. It also rejected her plea for an open court hearing.

The Supreme Court had on Wednesday taken exception to Bilkis Bano’s counsel repeatedly mentioning for urgent listing her petition against the premature release of the convicts, saying it was “very irritating”.