New Delhi: The Gujarat government Monday told the Supreme Court that it has paid Rs 50 lakh to Bilkis Bano and given her a job. Bilkis Bano was gangraped when she was five months pregnant during the 2002 riots in Gujarat. Bano, in her application said she was not satisfied as far as compliance of the apex court order with regard to job offer and provision for accommodation made by the state government. She said that the Gujarat government has done only lip service in the name of compliance of the orders of the Supreme Court.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta appeared for Gujarat government. He said, “This petition is misconceived.” However, a bench of Chief Justice SA Bobde and Justices AS Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian said the court would hear the matter after one week.
At the outset, Mehta said that Gujarat has given Rs 50 lakh and job to Bano as directed by the court. So he opposed the plea.
Bano has filed her plea through advocate Shobha Gupta. She said that in place of accommodation, the Gujarat government has given only 50 square meter land. The land is notified in records as ‘garden area’ zone. She also mentioned about the job offer. She said the government has offered her a job of peon in irrigation department on contract basis. It is however for a particular project in fixed pay grade.
The top court September 30 last year had directed that the Gujarat government to give within two weeks Rs 50 lakh compensation, a job and an accommodation of choice to Bano.
The top court had asked the Gujarat government as to why it has not complied with the apex court’s earlier order of April 23, 2019. In it also the government had been asked to give the compensation to Bano. She had earlier told the top court that despite its order the Gujarat government has not provided anything to her.
The top court had also asked the Gujarat government to withdraw the pensionary benefits given to erring police officials involved in the case.
According to the prosecution, March 3, 2002, Bano’s family was attacked by a mob at Randhikpur village near Ahmedabad in the aftermath of the Godhra riots. Bano, five months pregnant at that time, was gangraped and some members of her family killed.
