Bilkis Bano case: SC agrees to hear Mahua Moitra challenge to convicts’ remission
The Supreme Court Thursday agreed to hear Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra’s challenge to the remission granted to 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano case.
The matter was heard by a three-judge bench comprising CJI NV Ramana, Justices Ajay Rastogi and Vikram Nath.
While hearing the matter, Justice Rastogi asked Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, who had appeared for the petitioners, that “merely because the act was horrific, is it sufficient to say remission is wrong?” reported law news website Live Law.
The apex court issued a notice to the Gujarat government and issued directions to implead the released convicts. The matter has to be listed after two weeks, said Live Law.
SC agrees to hear Mahua Moitra’ challenge to the remission granted to 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano case. Issues notice to Gujarat government and directions to implead the released convicts @IndianExpress
— Apurva Vishwanath (@apurva_hv) August 25, 2022
Earlier in the week, the Gujarat government released 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano murder and gangrape case of 2002 under its remission and premature release policy.
This came after one of the convicts, Radheshyam Shah, moved the Supreme Court. Shah, who had been sentenced to life imprisonment by a CBI court in Mumbai in 2008, had completed 15 years and 4 months in jail.
