'No Error': Supreme Court Dismisses Gujarat's Plea Seeking Review of Bilkis Bano Case Verdict

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed a plea filed by the Gujarat government seeking a review of its earlier verdict, which had included critical observations against the state. The ruling had quashed the remission granted to 11 men convicted of raping Bilkis Bano and murdering seven members of her family during the 2002 Gujarat riots.

A bench comprising Justices B V Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan rejected both the review petition and the application for its listing in an open court.

"Having carefully gone through the Review Petitions, the order under challenge and the papers annexed therewith, we are satisfied that there is no error apparent on the face of the record or any merit in the Review Petitions, warranting reconsideration of the order impugned. The Review Petitions are, accordingly, dismissed," the bench stated.

In its plea, the Gujarat government had argued that the Supreme Court's observations in its January 8 judgment, which accused the state of "usurpation of power" and "abuse of discretion" for following an earlier order by another bench of the top court, constituted an "error apparent on the face of the record." The government put forth its request primarily on three grounds. However, the Supreme Court found no reason to revisit its judgment, dismissing the review petition outright.

For those unfamiliar with the case, Bilkis Bano was 21 years old and five months pregnant when she was gang-raped while attempting to escape the violence during the 2002 Gujarat riots, which erupted after the Godhra train burning. Among the seven family members killed in the attack was her three-year-old daughter.

In 2008, 11 men were convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for the crimes. However, on August 15, 2022, they were released under the Gujarat government's remission policy.