In the Bilkis Bano case, the Supreme Court is going to give its decision on the release of the culprits today i.e. on Monday. Gujarat government had waived the punishment of 11 accused of Bilkis Bano gang rape. This decision of the Gujarat government was also challenged in the Supreme Court, on which the Supreme Court is going to give its decision today. A bench of Justices BV Nagarathna and Ujjwal Bhuiyan heard the case and reserved its verdict for October 12, 2023. 

Challenge to Gujarat government's decision: Under the amnesty policy of the Gujarat government, in the year 2022, the punishment of those convicted of gang rape of Bilkis Bano and murder of seven members of her family was waived and they were released from jail. These convicts were sentenced to life imprisonment by the special CBI court in 2008, which was also approved by the Bombay High Court. A convict sentenced to life imprisonment has to spend 14 years in jail. After that, considering the nature of the crime, behavior in jail and other things, reduction in punishment or release can also be considered. Bilkis Bano gang rape convict has completed 15 years in jail. After this, the culprits had also requested for concession in punishment. After this, the Gujarat government released these 11 convicts from jail under its amnesty policy. 

Two petitions were filed in the Supreme Court on 30 November 2022 against this decision of the Gujarat government. In the first petition, challenging the release of the culprits, an appeal has also been made to send them back to jail. In the second petition, a request has been made to reconsider the order given by the Supreme Court in May, in which the Supreme Court had said that the Gujarat government is going to decide on the release of the culprits. 

The Supreme Court made important comments during the hearing: Not only this, during the hearing of the petitions in the Supreme Court, the Central and Gujarat governments defended the decision to release the culprits and said that the culprits have not committed the rarest of crimes and they have a chance to reform. It is necessary to give. On this, the court questioned that why the benefit of exemption in release was given only to the convicts of Bilkis Bano? Why were the other prisoners not given such exemption? The Supreme Court also asked whether the culprits have a fundamental right to apologise? On this, the lawyer of the culprits admitted that the culprits do not have the fundamental right to apologise. During the 2002 riots in Gujarat, seven people were killed by a mob who entered Bilkis Bano's house. During this time Bilkis Bano was gang raped. 

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