New Delhi: The Supreme Court has asked the Gujarat government to give Rs 50 lakh to Bilkis Bano as compensation and also provide employment and an accommodation if she is willing to accept them.
Earlier in March, Bano had refused to accept Rs 5 lakh compensation offered by the Gujarat government.
The Supreme Court said, “While the state eventually punished the perpetrators of the crime, the victim was left devastated after seeing human fury at its worst.”
The court further added, “Not only was she raped 22 times, her daughter aged 3.2 years was smashed to death. Ever since the appellant has been living a nomadic life and surviving at the charity of NGOs. The appellant is now 40-year-old and not very well educated. She has lost her entire family.”
“We don’t have to search for elaborate principles of law to decide that the victim must be adequately compensated. Time and again this court has held that quantum of compensation has to be judged according to the loss suffered,” ruled the Supreme Court.
The high court had May 4, 2017 convicted seven people — five policemen and two doctors – under Sections 218 (not performing their duties) and section 201 (tampering of evidence) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The counsel for state of Gujarat has placed on record the orders passed by the state government after the March order of the Supreme Court.
The Gujarat government showed orders passed by disciplinary authority to deny pension to the retired police officers.
PTI