Bilkis Bano, family left native village days before SC verdict
Her uncle, Abdul Razzak Mansuri, a witness in the gang rape case, said they were happy to learn that justice has been served and that all the convicts have to surrender
Bilkis Bano and her family relocated from their native Randhikpur village in Gujarat due to safety concerns days before the Supreme Court on Monday quashed the early release of 11 men jailed for life for gang-raping her and murdering her seven relatives during the 2002 Gujarat riots.
Her uncle, Abdul Razzak Mansuri, a witness in the gang rape case, said that they were happy to learn that justice has been served and that all the convicts are now required to surrender within two weeks. He called the Gujarat government’s move to release the convicts erroneous.
A Randhikpur resident cited safety concerns and said the family left the village ahead of the Supreme Court decision. Mansuri said that he does not know the whereabouts of Bilkis and her husband and that he has not spoken to his niece for the last 10-15 days.
Opposition Congress leader Manish Doshi welcomed the order and said the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been exposed. “The Supreme Court has aptly addressed the matter, acknowledging concerns and delivering a fitting response. The decision to release the convicts early was made for political advantage ahead of the Gujarat elections in December 2022. The BJP government’s attempt to shield those opposed to the law while neglecting those in need of protection and at the receiving end has been highlighted,” said Doshi.
Bano was three months pregnant when she was gang-raped. Her three-year-old daughter was among seven of her relatives who were murdered during the riots, which left 1,000 people, mostly Muslims, dead.
The 11 men were convicted in 2008. The Gujarat government ordered their release in August 2022, drawing condemnation.
The Supreme Court said that Gujarat did not have the authority to reduce the sentence since the trial was moved to Mumbai, which made Maharashtra responsible for the decision. It said a 2022 order of the court directing the Gujarat government to consider remission was obtained fraudulently and by suppressing material facts
