New Delhi, Nov 30 (Agency) Bilkis Bano on Wednesday approached the Supreme Court and filed a review petition against the premature release of 11 convicts sentenced to life term for her rape and murder of seven family members of hers. Shobha Gupta, Bilkis Bano’s lawyer said that she has filed a review petition in the Supreme Court. “Yes, we have filed a review petition in the Supreme Court. Bilkis Bano files the review petition in the Supreme Court, against the May order of the Supreme Court which allowed the Gujarat government to apply 1992 remission rules,” Shobha said. She also said that she has also filed a writ petition challenging the premature release of the 11 convicts in the case. The plea filed by Bilkis said that “the 11 convicts could not have been released from jail.”
Shobha Gupta mentioned the matter today before the Chief Justice of India (CJI) for an early listing in the review petition, to which the CJI DY Chandrachud said, he will look into the plea. Bilkis’ review plea also said that the appropriate government would not be state of Gujarat but the state of Maharashtra for releasing the 11 convicts in the case. The remission Policy of state of Maharashtra would govern this case. The Gujarat government in its order, had prematurely released 11 convicts for murder of 14 persons and gangrape of women, including Bilkis Bano, during 2002 post-Godhra riots in the state. Challenging this order, there are a batch of pleas, moved before the Supreme Court, which is currently hearing these, filed by CPI (M) MP Subhasini Ali, journalist Revati Laul and Prof Roop Rekha Verma.