Bilkis Bano case: Mumbai court upholds verdict convicting 11 for gang rape, murder

The Bombay high court on Thursday dismissed the appeals filed by 11 men convicted in the Bilkis Bano gangrape and murder case.

On March 3, 2002, 17 people, including Bilkis Bano, were attacked in Devgarh Baria village of Dahod district in Gujarat, in the aftermath of the Godhra train carnage. While eight people were killed, six others were reported missing and three — Bilkis Bano and her two family members, master Hussain and Sadaam — survived.

A special court convicted eleven men — Jaswant Nai, Govind Nai, Shailesh Bhatt, Radhyesham Shah, Bipin Chandra Joshi, Kesarbhai Vohania, Pradeep Mordhiya, Bakabhai Vohania,



Rajubhai Soni, Mitesh Bhatt, and Ramesh Chandana — for the gangrape of Bilkis and murder of her family members on January 21, 2008 and sentenced to life imprisonment

The 11 convicts had challenged their conviction in the HC.

A division bench of justice VK Tahilramani and Mridula Bhatkar set aside the acquittals of some Gujarat police officials and two government hospital doctors, who the CBI had accused of tampering with evidence and Bilkis’ statement.

They had reserved judgment on the appeals in November last year, after conducting a day-to-day hearing on both the pleas for about five months.