All 11 life imprisonement convicts of Bilkis Bano gang-rape case, walk out of Godhra jail
According to the news agency PTI, all 11 life-sentenced convicts in the 2002 Bilkis Bano gang-rape case
walked out of the Godhra sub-jail under the Gujarat government’s remission policy.
“A committee formed a few months ago unanimously voted in favor of remission for all 11 convicts in the case. The recommendation was forwarded to the state government, and we received the orders for their release yesterday “Sujal Mayatra, a collector of Panchmahals, stated
A special CBI court in Mumbai sentenced the 11 accused to life imprisonment on the charge of gang-rape and murder of seven members of Bilkis Bano’s family on January 21, 2008.
These convicts had served more than 15 years in prison before one of them petitioned the Supreme Court for his early release.
According to Panchmahals collector Sujal Mayatra, who heads the panel, the Supreme Court directed the Gujarat
government to look into the issue of remission of his sentence, after which the government formed a committee.
The Gujarat government has permitted their release under its remission policy
After the Supreme Court directed the State authorities to decide on merit following a convict’s petition in the
apex court seeking premature release under the remission policy, the State government accepted the recommendation of a local committee that decided to allow their remission.
A special CBI court in Mumbai sentenced the convicts to life in prison in January 2008 on charges of gang-
rape and murder of seven members of Bilkis Bano’s family during the post-Godhra communal riots in the State.
CBI Investigation
Bilkis Bano had survived the massacre, and her case was one of the most important cases related to the 2002 riots, with the investigation being handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the trial being moved from Gujarat to Maharashtra at the quotation of the Supreme Court.
The conviction of the trial court was also upheld by the Bombay High Court.
“A few months ago, the State government formed a committee to decide on the remission of those convicted in the case.” “The committee unanimously decided in favor of the remission of all 11 convicts,” a government official said.
What is the Bilkis Bano case ?
Bano was 21 years old and five months pregnant when she was sexually assaulted on March 3, 2002, in
Randhikpur village near Ahmedabad, while fleeing the violence that erupted in the aftermath of the Sabarmati train incident in Godhra.
The trial in Bano’s case began in Ahmedabad at first.
A special court convicted and sentenced 11 men to life imprisonment for the incident on January 21, 2008. It , however, discharged seven people, including the police officers and two doctors accused of tampering with evidence.
(With aid from PTI)
What is the 2002 Godhra train burning case?
Twenty years ago, On February 27, 2002, Sabarmati Express arrived at Godhra station in Gujarat.
The Gujarat High Court on Monday commuted the death sentence awarded to 11 convicts to life term in the Godhra train burning case of 2002. The court has, however, upheld the life sentence awarded to 20 others by the special SIT court. The court’s verdict came on appeals filed by the convicts and the prosecuting agency.
