New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday fixed August 7 for the start of the final hearing on a batch of pleas challenging the remission granted last year to all the 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano gang-rape case and murder of seven of her family members during the 2002 Gujarat riots.
A bench of justices BV Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan noted that the pleadings have been completed and notices served on all the convicts.
“We hold that pleadings in the matter are complete and all the respondents have been served notices in all the cases though newspaper publications or directly. We list the matter for final hearing on August 7. All parties should file short written submissions, synopsis and list of dates,” the
bench said.
During the hearing, advocate Shobha Gupta, appearing for Bilkis Bano, said notices were published in local newspapers on June 1 and she had filed an affidavit with regard to that on June 7. Advocate Indira Jaising and advocate Vrinda Grover, also appearing for the petitioners, said in their cases also notices were published as directed by the top court.
Grover said she needs to place on record the original remission order of the Gujarat government and sought permission of the court to place some additional documents on record. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Gujarat government and the Centre, said although the original remission order has been placed on record by the state, if the petitioners want to place it themselves, he has no problem with that.
The bench said since the matter was listed for directions, it is fixing August 7 as the date for the final hearing and the parties, who wish to file their replies, written submissions, synopsis, and list of dates, are at liberty to do so.
“Your written submissions should focus on some main issues and arguments,” the bench told the counsel for the petitioners and granted them three weeks to file their replies.
It also allowed the convicts to file their counter affidavits on the petitions challenging the remission. On May 9, the top court had directed the publication of notices in local newspapers, including in Gujarati and English, against the convicts who could not be served notices, including the one whose house was found by the local police to be locked and his phone switched off.
The top court had on May 2 deferred the hearing after some of the counsel for the convicts raised objections about they not being served notices on the pleas challenging the remission granted to them.