Bilkis Bano gangrape and murder case : NHRC to discuss release of 11 convicts

The National Human Rights Commission is likely to take up on Monday the release from Godhra sub-jail of 11 convicts serving life imprisonment in the Bilkis Bano gangrape and murder case from the 2002 Gujarat riots, as per a report by The Indian Express.

The office of the NHRC chairperson Justice Arun Mishra, when contacted by the daily confirmed the report.

The 11 convicts, who were sentenced to life for raping a 5-months pregnant Bilkis Bano and murdering her five-year-old daughter and 13 others, were released on August 15 under the Gujarat government's remission policy. The government was advised by a 10-member committee. Of these 10 members, 5 have links with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), reported NDTV.

The report holds significance given the crucial role the NHRC played in assisting Bano in her fight for justice. In 2003, after the Gujarat police had closed the case, it was the human rights body that provided legal assistance to Bano in her appeal to the Supreme Court.

The NHRC, under former Chief Justice of India J S Verma, had met her during a visit to a relief camp in Godhra in March 2002 and appointed senior advocate and former Solicitor General Harish Salve to represent her before the top court.

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The CBI special court on January 21, 2008, convicted 13 accused, sentencing 11 to life imprisonment on the charge of gangrape and murder. The conviction was upheld by the Bombay High Court in May 2017.

Meanwhile, the US Commission of International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) on Friday strongly condemned the “unjustified” early release of the convicts. Calling the early release of the convicts a “travesty of justice”, USCIRF Commissioner Stephen Schneck said it was part of a “pattern of impunity” for those involved in the violence against religious minorities in India.

On August 17, two days after the convicts were released, Bano issued a statement through her lawyer stating, "The release of these convicts has taken from me my peace and shaken my faith in justice.”