New Delhi: The Supreme Court will hear a PIL filed against the relaxation of the sentence given to the convicts in the Bilkis Bano case of Gujarat.
A Bench headed by Chief Justice N V Ramana on Tuesday agreed to the plea of senior advocate Kapil Sibal and advocate Aparna Bhat for an early hearing.
The exemption given to 11 people guilty of killing 14 people and sexually assaulting a pregnant woman during the 2002 Godhra riots has been challenged.
During the special mention, a bench headed by Justice Ramana asked the counsel whether the release was on the basis of a Supreme Court order. Sibal said the petitioners are not questioning the order of the apex court but the basis for granting exemption to the 11 convicts.
The lawyers told the Supreme Court that a bench headed by Justice Ajay Rastogi had allowed the Gujarat government to apply for the “exemption in practice” rules at the time of conviction to the 11 accused in the Bilkis Bano case.
Justice Ramana said the petition would be listed before the appropriate bench soon.
