Top Indian court awards Rs5 million to Godhra rape survivor Bilkis
Apex court rubbishes Gujarat government counsel’s contention compensation too high
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the Gujarat government to rehabilitate and pay Rs5 million (Dh263,214) in compensation to Bilkis Yakub Rasool, who was gang raped at the age of 21 in 2002 during the post-Godhra riots. Her three-year-old daughter was also killed.
A bench comprising of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna, expressed concern about the victim after learning that she had been living a nomadic life, and has been surviving on charity.
The court directed the Gujarat government to get her a state government job and provide her accommodation at a place of her choice.
The apex court also rubbished Gujarat government counsel’s contention that the compensation was too high for the victim, and instead she should be given Rs1 million.
Earlier, she was given Rs500,000 compensation from the state.
The Gujarat government counsel also informed the top court that three guilty officials, who tried to tamper with evidence in the Bilkis Bano gangrape case, have been stripped off entire pensionary benefits, and an IPS officer has been demoted by two ranks.