After the Supreme Court quashed the Gujarat government order that granted remission to 11 men convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for the gangrape of Bilkis Bano, sources close to the family of Bilkis told The Indian Express that Bilkis is relieved, but not feeling victorious yet'.
Quoting a source close to the family, The Indian Express reported, " The judgement restored our faith in the judiciary system and that it gives a consolation that justice is alive. But, we cannot feel the victory yet as the convicts will prepare to apply for remission from the other state. We have a doubt if the court will consider the plea of the convicts to remain outside prison while applying for remission."
"Our fight is not over yet until they are sent back to jail.”
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A bench comprising Justices BV Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan directed the convicts to surrender before jail authorities within two weeks.
The judges held that the Supreme Court’s order in May 2022 directing the Gujarat government to decide the remission was secured by suppressing facts and fraud played on the court.
The bench was hearing a group of petitions challenging the Gujarat government’s decision to grant remission to the 11 convicted men, who were released on August 15, 2022, coinciding with 75 years of India’s independence.
Bilkis Bano was 21 years old and five-month pregnant when she was raped while fleeing the horror of the communal riots that broke out after the Godhra train-burning incident. Her three-year-old daughter was among the seven family members killed in the 2002 communal riots.
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