The Bilkis Bano Case was listed today before the Supreme Court bench of Justices Ajay Rastogi and Bela M. Trivedi at serial no. 38.

When the case was called out for hearing, one of the judge of the bench namely Justice Bela Madhurya Trivedi recused herself for hearing. now the case would be place before the Chief Justice of India for assigning a new bench.

Advocate Shobha Gupta had filed a Writ Petition before the Supreme Court on behalf of Bilkis Bano against the decision of the Government of Gujarat for the premature release of 11 convicts who were convicted of life term in rape and murder case.

Allowing a writ petition filed by one of the convicts, Justice Rastogi's decision overturned the Gujarat High Court's view that the remission had to be considered by the State of Maharashtra because the trial was held in Mumbai following transfer from Gujarat. Bilkis has also filed a separate review petition against that judgement in the Supreme Court. All eleven convicts were released on August 15, this year, after the State Government approved their remission applications. 

Visuals of the released convicts receiving heroic welcomes went viral on social media, sparking outrage from a variety of groups. In this context, a slew of PILs were filed in the Supreme Court, calling into question the relief granted to the convicts. CPI(M) leader Subhashini Ali, journalist Revati Laul, TMC MP Mahua Moitra, former IPS officer Meeran Chadha Borwankar, and a few other former civil servants, as well as the National Federation of Indian Women, were among those who signed the petition. Bano has also filed a separate review petition against the top court's May 13 judgement, arguing that the state of Maharashtra's remission policy, rather than Gujarat's 1992 remission policy, should apply in this case because the trial took place in Maharashtra.

Case Details:-

W.P.(Crl.) No. 491/2022
BILKIS YAKUB RASOOL
Versus
UNION OF INDIA AND ORS.