Supreme Court to hear pleas against release of convicts in Bilkis Bano case after 3 weeks

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 9

The Supreme Court (SC) on Friday said petitions against the premature release of 11 convicts in the case of Bilkis Bano’s gang-rape and murder of her seven family members during the 2002 Gujarat riots would be taken up after three weeks.

Notice to up on minor’s plea to donate liver

• The SC on Friday issued a notice to the Uttar Pradesh Government on a minor boy's petition seeking permission to donate a part of his liver to his father
• A Bench led by Chief Justice of India UU Lalit asked the UP's Health Department to respond to the plea filed by the 17-year-old boy
• The court ordered the officer of the state’s Health Department to remain present on September 12, the next date of hearing
• It said a preliminary test had to be conducted to ascertain if the minor could donate liver or not
• The boy submitted that his father was in a critical condition and needed to undergo a liver transplant surgery
• He has sought court's permission as a minor is allowed to donate organs, only in exceptional cases

A Bench led by Justice Ajay Rastogi, which had on August 25 issued notice to the Gujarat Government on a petition filed by three activists challenging the premature release of 11 convicts that sparked widespread outrage, asked the Gujarat Government counsel to file relevant records in two weeks.

On Friday, a fresh petition filed by TMC MP Mahua Moitra challenging the remission was taken up for hearing.During the hearing, advocate Rishi Malhotra, representing one of the 11 convicts, questioned the locus standi of petitioners.

The 11 convicts prematurely released on August 15 were Jaswant Nai, Govind Nai, Shailesh Bhatt, Radhyesham Shah, Bipin Chandra Joshi, Kesarbhai Vohania, Pradeep Mordhiya, Bakabhai Vohania, Rajubhai Soni, Mitesh Bhatt and Ramesh Chandana. They were said to have been released due to completion of 14 years in prison, besides their age and behaviour during incarceration. Bilkis, pregnant at the time of crime, was gangraped and her three-year-old daughter and 13 others were killed by a mob in 2002 Godhra riots.

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