Bilkis Bano rape case, Bilkis Bano gang rape case.
- Breaking: The Supreme Court orders the surrender of 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano case, setting aside their remission.
Bilkis Bano Gujarat Wiki: Bilkis Bano is one of the victims of the 2002 Gujarat riots, along with her family. During the community unrest, many of Bilkis Bano’s family members were killed and she was gang-raped.
The case of Bilkis Bano, who is over 21, is making headlines once more. On Monday, the Gujarati government’s decision to free 11 of the case’s prisoners was overturned by the Supreme Court. The guilty were also given a two-week deadline by the court to turn themselves up. All of these prisoners were serving their sentences for the gang rape of Bilkis Bano, a Gujarati lady, and the death of seven members of her family during communal unrest in Godhra. On August 15, 2023, the Gujarati government freed him.
In a ruling on Monday, the Supreme Court declared that only the state has the authority to pardon convicted criminals after they have been tried and punished. The court ruled that the Maharashtra government will make the decision regarding the offenders’ sentences being remitted, rather than the Gujarat government. It is significant that Maharashtra hosted the hearing for the Bilkis Bano case. The Gujarat government’s move to free the guilty was deemed an abuse of authority by the Supreme Court as well.
Who is Bilkis Bano?
Sabarmati Express was set ablaze on February 27, 2002, close to Godhra station. 59 Hindus who were returning from Ayodhya perished in this tragedy. Gujarat saw rioting following this arson event. Among the numerous families impacted by these events was the family of Bilkis Bano. On March 3, 2002, four days after the Godhra event, Bilkis’s family was subjected to severe abuse. In addition to the 21-year-old Bilkis and her 3-and-a-half-year-old daughter, the family at that time consisted of 15 additional people. Seven members of Bilkis’s family had been murdered by the riots.
What happened to Bilkis?
Community uprisings erupted around the state following the February 27 tragedy. The family of Bilkis Bano resided in the Dahod district’s Radhikpur village. The family made the decision to flee the village as the riot got worse. At the time, Bilkis was five months pregnant. She left the village with fifteen other family members and her three-and-a-half-year-old daughter Saleha.
The family arrived in Chapparwad village on March 3, 2002, and took refuge in a field beside the dirt road that led to Panniwela village. The chargesheet that was submitted to the court states that Bilkis and his family were attacked by 20 to 30 individuals, including 11 convicted felons, who were equipped with sickles, swords, and sticks. The incident claimed the lives of seven individuals, including Bilkis’s three-and-a-half-year-old daughter.
A three and a half year old innocent girl was killed by throwing her on a stone.
In August of last year, at the Supreme Court hearing on Bilkis Bano’s appeal, the agonizing event was described by Bano’s attorney. In an appearance on his behalf, advocate Shobha Gupta said that the perpetrators were pursuing him and that this was not an isolated incidence. The offenders were attempting to locate their hiding place. They were bloodthirsty.
“When Bilquis was five months pregnant, she was viciously gang-raped multiple times, and her three-and-a-half-year-old daughter was thrown to death on a rock,” the attorney stated in court. The attorney claimed that despite her repeated pleas, the perpetrators had no sympathy for her or her family.
Cruelty and brutality even with the family:
‘Bilkis’s mother and cousin sister were gang-raped and killed,’ the attorney continued. Four younger brothers and sisters, a two-day-old baby belonging to their cousin sister, aunts, and further cousins were all killed.
According to Advocate Shobha, the heads and chests of the bodies that could be recovered had been smashed. Despite the fact that 14 people died, he claimed that only seven of their remains could be found since the scene of the occurrence was unsafe.
Following the encounter, Bilkis lost consciousness and requested borrowed clothing.
After the attack, only Bilkis, his male relatives, and a three-year-old toddler made it out alive. Following the event, Bilquis was unconscious for a minimum of three hours. When he came to, a native woman let him borrow her clothes. Then, he ran into a house guard who drove him to the Limkheda police station, where he complained to Somabhai Gori, the head constable. Ghori allegedly misrepresented and concealed significant details from the CBI investigation.
Bilkis was only brought to a government hospital for testing after arriving at the Godhra refugee camp. His lawsuit made its way to the Supreme Court and the National Human Rights Commission within a few days. From here, directives were issued for the CBI to look into the situation. Following this, in January 2008, 11 people were found guilty by a special court on various charges, including rape, murder, and unlawful assembly. On August 15, 2023, 11 prisoners serving their sentences in this case were freed; however, the Supreme Court heard a challenge to this decision.
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Bilkis Bano gang rape case: Short Story
A horrific incident that took place during the 2002 Gujarat riots in India is the Bilkis Bano gang rape case, sometimes referred to as the Gujarat riots gang rape case. The Godhra train burning incident in Gujarat led to widespread communal violence, and in the aftermath, a mob slaughtered fourteen members of Bilkis Bano’s family and gang-raped the pregnant Muslim woman.
One of the survivors who went after justice for the horrible acts done to her and her family was Bilkis Bano. Because of the ferocity of the crime and the tensions in the community around it, the case attracted national and international attention.
A Mumbai trial court found multiple defendants guilty and punished them in 2008. The Indian Supreme Court reversed the acquittal of seven individuals and maintained the conviction of eleven in 2017. The state government was also ordered by the court to give Bilkis Bano rehabilitation and compensation.
The Bilkis Bano case is noteworthy for bringing attention to concerns of human rights breaches, communal violence, and the difficulties faced by survivors in pursuing justice, in addition to its significance for the pursuit of justice in a particular case. It emphasizes how critical it is to deal with these kinds of situations and advance a legal system that guarantees justice for everyone, regardless of their ethnicity or religion.
FAQs Bilkis Bano gang rape case
Q: In which year did the Bilkis Bano gang rape case occur?
Ans: The Bilkis Bano gang rape case occurred in 2002.
Q: What triggered the communal violence in Gujarat in 2002?
Ans: The communal violence in Gujarat in 2002 was triggered by the Godhra train burning incident, where a train carrying Hindu pilgrims caught fire, resulting in the deaths of numerous passengers.
Q: How did the Bilkis Bano case gain national and international attention?
Ans: The Bilkis Bano case gained national and international attention due to the brutality of the crime and the communal tensions surrounding it. The case highlighted issues of communal violence, human rights violations, and the challenges faced by survivors in seeking justice.
Q: What was the outcome of the trial court’s decision in 2008 regarding the Bilkis Bano case?
Ans: In 2008, a trial court in Mumbai convicted and sentenced several individuals involved in the Bilkis Bano case.
Q: What decision did the Supreme Court of India make in 2017 regarding the Bilkis Bano case?
Ans: In 2017, the Supreme Court of India upheld the conviction of 11 people involved in the Bilkis Bano case and set aside the acquittal of seven others. The court also directed the state government to provide compensation and rehabilitation to Bilkis Bano.
