SC sets two weeks deadline for Gujarat govt to disburse compensation of Rs 50 lakhs to Bilkis Bano
New Delhi: The Supreme Court has directed the Gujarat government to provide a compensation of Rs 50 lakhs, a job and an accommodation to Bilkis Bano, who was gang-raped during the 2002 Gujarat riots and 14 members of her family members were killed.
The apex court turned down Gujarat government's plea to reconsider the April order which made similar recommendations and set a two-week deadline to comply.
On Mar 3, 2002, 14 members of Bilkis Bano's family were killed in a mob attack at Randhikapur village near Ahmedabad. Her two-year-old daughter was smashed against a rock in the gory incident and five months pregnant Bilkis Bano was gang-raped in the attack.
On Jan 21, 2008, a special court convicted and provided life imprisonment to 11 men for raping Bilkis and killing seven members of her family, acquitting seven other accused.
Nine years later, on May 4, 2017, the Gujarat High Court convicted the seven people-two doctors and five policemen- under charges of dereliction of duty and destroying evidence in the case.
The Supreme Court had on July 10, 2017, rejected the appeals of four police personnel, including an IPS officer RS Bhagora, and two doctors, challenging the High Court's conviction, saying that there was clear evidence against them.
One of the police personnel convicted by the high court did not appeal at the top court.
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