Bilkis Bano case: Timeline of events from 2002 to SC verdict

The 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano gang rape case were granted remission by the Gujarat government on August 15, 2022.

The Supreme Court of India on Monday rapped the Gujarat government for granting remission to the 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano gangrape case. The 11 convicts, sentenced to life imprisonment, were released by the Gujarat government in 2022 under its remission policy.

Bilkis Bano's rapists were released on remission by the Gujarat government. (File)

The Supreme Court bench said that the Gujarat government did not have the jurisdiction to take a decision onb the remission of sentence for the 11 convicts, who were imprisoned for gang raping Bilkis Bano and murdering members of her family.

Further, the apex court has ruled that the released convicts in the case have two weeks to surrender before the authorities.

Bilkis Bano case: Timeline of events

• During 2002 Gujarat riots, Bilkis Bano, who was five months pregnant at the time, fled her home in Randhikpur village with her 3-year-old daughter, husband and other family members.
• Bano and her family had reached the Chhaparvad district when a mob of 20-30 men attacked their group with sickles, swords and stones. 11 of these men gang-raped Bilkis Bano, her mother and three other women. Seven of her family members, including her 3-year-old daughter, were killed by the mob.
• After the local police rejected her case, Bilkis Bano turned to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in 2003, eventually filing an appeal in the Supreme Court.
• The Supreme Court instructed CBI to take up the investigation of the case. The investigation agency apprehended all the accused in 2004. The trial was transferred from Ahmedabad to Mumbai over fears of evidence tampering.
• 13 individuals in the case were convicted on charges of rape, murder and conspiracy, out of which 11 were given life sentences. These convicts then challenged their conviction in the Bombay High Court in 2008.
• After several attempts the overturn the judgement and CBI pushing for the death penalty, the High Court upheld its previous order of life sentences for 11 convicts in 2017.
• One of the convicts, Radheshyam Shah, approached the High Court and Supreme Court seeking early release in 2022, having already served 15 years, reported Outlook India. The SC passed this case to the Gujarat government.
• On August 15, 2022, the Gujarat government released all 11 convicts in the gangrape case under its remission policy. However, this decision sparked a major public backlash, and prompted petitions from opposition MPs.
• Bilkis Bano in 2022 filed an appeal in the Supreme Court to review the decision of the Gujarat government ordering release of the 11 gangrape convicts.
• The matter was listed in the Supreme Court in March 2023, after which arguments from Centre and Gujarat government were heard. SC also asked the state government to present the original documents on the basis of which the decision was taken.
• On January 8, 2024, the Supreme Court decided to dismiss the remission of the convicts in Bilkis Bano gang rape case, ordering them to surrender to the authorities in two weeks.