2002 Godhra riots survivor Bilkis Bano to get Rs 50 lakh and job: SC directs Gujarat govt

Bilkis Bano was brutally raped by 11 men during the 2002 Gujarat riots when Narendra Modi was the then chief minister of the state.

The Supreme Court on Monday ordered the Gujarat government to pay Rs 50 lakh as compensation and provide a job to 2002 Godhra riots survivor Bilkis Bano. The bench, headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi, also gave the state government a deadline of two weeks.

Bilkis Bano was brutally raped by 11 men during the Gujarat riots when Narendra Modi was the then chief minister of the state. Bano was just 19-years-old and pregnant when 14 members of her family including her three-year-old child were murdered by rioters at Randhikpur village near Ahmedabad on March 3, 2002. The apex court had ordered the state government to complete disciplinary action against police officers whom the Bombay High Court had convicted in the case.

The apex court had provided relief to Bano in April when it awarded a compensation of Rs 50 lakhs to her.

Bilkis Yakub Rasool, holds her six-month-old daughter Fatima, during a news conference in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad, August 8, 2004.Reuters

On Monday, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who is representing the state government, told the court that they would like the court to review the judgment which was passed in april. However, the court asked the government to pay the fine.

In addition to this, the top court also asked the Gujarat government to take the required action against IPS officer RS Bhagora. He was convicted by the Bombay High Court on March 2017 for the dereliction of duty in the Bilkis Bano case. He was convicted along with seven other under sections 201 (tampering of evidence) and 218 (not performing their duties) of the Indian Penal Code.