Draft:Bilkis Bano

Bilkis Bano, a survivor of the 2002 Gujarat riots, gained prominence for her pursuit of justice following a brutal attack on her and her family during the communal violence that ensued after the Godhra train burning incident.

Legal Proceedings
Following the initial dismissal of the case against her assailants by the local police, Bilkis Bano approached the National Human Rights Commission of India and subsequently petitioned the Supreme Court. In response, the Supreme Court directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to conduct a reinvestigation. The CBI appointed a team of experts from the Central Forensic Science Laboratory and All India Institute of Medical Sciences to assist in the investigation. The trial of the case was transferred out of Gujarat and the central government was directed to appoint a public prosecutor. Charges were filed in a Mumbai court against nineteen people as well as six police officials and a government doctor over their role in the initial investigations. In January 2008, eleven men were sentenced to life imprisonment for rapes and murders and a policeman was convicted of falsifying evidence. The Bombay High Court upheld the life imprisonment of the eleven men convicted for the gang rape of Bilkis Bano and the murder of her family members during the 2002 Gujarat riots on 8 May 2017. The court also set aside the acquittal of the remaining seven accused in the case, including Gujarat police officers and doctors of a government hospital, who were charged with suppressing and tampering with evidence. Later, the final verdict came on 23 April 2019 as the Supreme Court ordered the Gujarat government to pay Bilkis Yakoob Rasool Bano ₹50 lakh as compensation, and to provide her with a government job and housing in the area of her choice.

On 15 August 2022, the eleven men sentenced to life imprisonment in the Bilkis Bano gangrape case were released from a Godhra jail by the Gujarat government. The judge who sentenced the rapists said the early release set a bad precedent by the Gujarat government and warned that the move would have wide ramifications.

The panel which granted remission included two legislators from the BJP, which was the state government at that time, former BJP Godhra municipal councillor, and a BJP women wing member. After being released from the jail, they were welcomed with sweets and their feet touched in respect.

Two days after the remission, Bilkis Bano issued a statement expressing her grief at the release of her rapists, saying "The release of these convicts has taken from me my peace and shaken my faith in justice." Many Muslims from her village left their homes due to safety concerns.

On 18 August 2022, around 6,000 signatories, including activists, eminent writers, historians, filmmakers, journalists and former bureaucrats, urged the Supreme Court to revoke the early release of the rapists, while the Opposition parties criticised the BJP. The convicts harassed the witnesses of the case when they were out on parole as recently as in the year 2021, which added to the criticism of the remission.

A few days later, Supreme Court agreed to look into plea challenging release of 11 convicts. A bench comprising Chief Justice of India N. V. Ramana, Justice Ajay Rastogi, and Justice Vikram Nath however posed a query with respect to the legal bar on grant of remission to the convicts.

On 8 January 2024, Supreme Court of India has held that the Gujarat government was not competent to grant remission.