It is very irritating: Supreme Court on Bilkis Bano’s repeated requests

New Delhi, Dec 14: The Supreme Court issued a stern warning to Bilkis Bano who is challenging the early release of the 11 men serving a life sentence for gang-raping her and killing several members of her family in 2002.

The stern warning came in the wake of Bano seeking to set up a new Bench. Bilkis Bano's lawyer had raised the request before a Bench comprising Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud and Justice P S Narasimha and asked them to consider setting up a fresh Bench early. The request was made after one of the judges hearing the case, Justice Bela Trivedi opting out of the Bench on Tuesday.

The petition will be listed. Please do not keep mentioning the same thing again and again. It is very irritating, the Chief Justice said.

The Chief Justice of India has to set up a new Bench as Justice Trivedi had recused herself from hearing the petition filed by Bilkis Bano.

The Gujarat government had ordered the release of the 11 convicts on August 15. The release had sparked off a major controversy. Bano had moved the Supreme Court against the release on November 30. The 11 men were convicted in 2008 for raping her and killing seven of her family members during the riots of 2002 in Gujarat.

The Gujarat government had granted the benefit of remission to the 11 convicts under the 1992 policy. Bilkis Bano has sought a review of the order of the Supreme Court which had asked the state government to consider the plea of the convicts for premature release in accordance with the 1992 policy.

The Gujarat government had in October told the Supreme Court that the Union Ministry of Home Affairs had approved the early release of the 11 convicts who were sentenced to life in 2008. The government also cited good behaviour as the reason for the early release of the 11 convicts.

The trial in the case was transferred by the Supreme Court in Maharashtra after the CBI had investigated the matter. On January 21 2008, the 11 persons were sentenced to life imprisonment by a special CBI court.