Bilkis Bano case: SC assures setting up of a special bench to hear plea against release of 11 convicts

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday said that it will constitute a bench to hear plea challenging the pre-mature release of 11 convicts who had gang raped Bilkis Bano and murdered her family members during the 2002 Godhra riots.

A bench headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud said, “I will have a bench constituted. Need to break two benches for it. Will look at it this evening.”

The CJI said this after advocate Shobha Gupta, appearing for Bano, mentioned the plea seeking listing of the case and said that the matter is not getting listed.

Earlier also advocate Gupta mentioned the matter for urgent hearing and had said that a new bench needs to be constituted by the CJI as Justice Bela M Trivedi recused from hearing the plea.

A bench of Justices Ajay Rastogi and Bela M Trivedi earlier had ordered that the matter be listed before the bench in which Justice Trivedi is not a part of as she had recused herself from hearing the case.

In March 2002 during the post-Godhra riots, Bano was allegedly gang-raped and left to die with 14 members of her family, including her three-year-old daughter. She was five months pregnant when rioters attacked her family in Vadodara. (UNI)