Bilkis Bano Case : The Supreme Court quashed the Gujarat government’s decision to grant remission to 11 convicts, asked to surrender in 2 weeks

The Bilkis Bano case is a landmark case of gangrape and mass murder that occurred during the 2002 Gujarat riots in India. Bilkis Bano, then a 21-year-old pregnant woman, was raped and her family members were murdered during the riots that followed the Godhra train burning incident. She survived the attack and filed a complaint with the police, but faced several hurdles and threats in her quest for justice. The trial court convicted 11 men for rape and murder, and acquitted seven others, including doctors and policemen, who were accused of tampering with the evidence. The Bombay High Court upheld the conviction of the 11 men, and reversed the acquittal of the seven others, in 2017. The Supreme Court quashed the order of premature release granted by the Gujarat government to the 11 convicts in 2024, citing the heinous and grave nature of their crime. The Gujarat government had sought the approval of the federal government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, for the remission of the convicts, despite the opposition from the court and the federal prosecutors. The release of the convicts had sparked outrage and criticism from various quarters, who saw it as a sign of discrimination and injustice against the minority Muslim community in India. Bilkis Bano had expressed her disappointment and loss of faith in the system, and appealed to the Gujarat government to undo the harm and restore her right to live without fear and in peace. The case is seen as a symbol of the resilience and courage of Bilkis Bano, who fought for 15 years against all odds to get justice for herself and her family.

Here is a complete timeline of the Bilkis Bano case events based on the news search results from Bing:

- **March 3, 2002**: Bilkis Bano's family was attacked by a mob at Randhikpur village near Ahmedabad during the post-Godhra riots. Bilkis, five months pregnant at that time, was gang-raped and several members of her family were killed. 

- **December 2003**: The Supreme Court ordered a CBI probe into the case. A month later, all accused were arrested and the trial began. 

- **August 2004**: The trial was moved to Mumbai at the instance of the Supreme Court after Bilkis Bano told the court that her family was living in the shadow of danger and uncertainty

- **January 2008**: The trial court convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment 11 men for raping Bilkis and murdering seven of her family members, while acquitting seven persons including the policemen and doctors

- **July 2011**: The CBI moved the Bombay High Court seeking death penalty for three of the convicts

- **July 15, 2016**: The Bombay High Court began hearing appeals filed for 11 convicts¹.

- **September 2016**: The Bombay High Court rejected an application filed by the lawyer of the convicts seeking re-examination of some of the witnesses

- **October 2016**: The Bombay High Court rejected an intervention application filed by Bilkis Bano. The division bench ruled that the application cannot be allowed under the Criminal Procedure Code, but as the court was inclined to hear Bilkis, she may convert her application into an appeal

- **May 4, 2017**: The Bombay High Court upheld the life sentence order of the trial court against the 11 accused in the Bilkis Bano gangrape case. The high court also convicted seven people - five policemen and two doctors - under charges of not performing their duties and tampering of evidence

- **July 10, 2017**: The Supreme Court dismissed the appeals of two doctors and four policemen, including an IPS officer R S Bhagora, challenging their conviction by the high court saying there was "clear-cut evidence" against them. One of the officers did not appeal

- **January 8, 2024**: The Supreme Court quashed the Gujarat government's decision to grant remission to 11 convicts in the case of Bano's gangrape and murder of seven of her family members during 2002 Gujarat riots. The convicts have been asked to surrender within two weeks.