Gujarat government never helped despite SC order: Bilkis Bano’s husband

Hours after the Supreme Court ordered the Gujarat government to give 2002 riots gang-rape survivor Bilkis Bano a compensation of Rs 50 lakh within two weeks, her husband criticised the Rupani-led dispensation for "not providing any assistance" to them all these years.

Bilkis Bano suffered for 17 years, but the Gujarat government refused to help her despite being ordered to do so by the country's top court, her husband Yakoob Rasool told PTI over phone from Dahod on Monday.

"The Supreme Court on April 13 asked the state government to give her compensation within 15 days. It has been over five months now, but the government did not contact us even once, let alone follow the court order," he said.

Rasool said his family sent two notices to the Vijay Rupani-led state government, reminding it of the SC order, but it did not even reply, following which they approached the apex court again.

"Let us see what the state government does now. It has to comply within 15 days or it will amount to contempt of court. All we know is that Bilkis suffered a lot in last 17 years, but never gave up the fight," he said.

She lost her family in the post-Godhra riots but still managed to raise her children, despite the state government not helping her in any way, Rasool said.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi on Monday asked the Gujarat government as to why it has not given the compensation, job and accommodation to Bilkis Bano despite the apex court's April 23 order.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the state, told the bench that the compensation of Rs 50 lakh was not provided in the victim compensation scheme of Gujarat and they would also file a plea seeking review of the top court's April order.

Later, Mehta gave an undertaking in the court that the compensation, job and accommodation would be given to her within two weeks.

On March 3, 2002, Bilkis Bano and her family were attacked by a mob at Randhikpur village near Ahmedabad during the post-Godhra riots.

Bilkis Bano, who was five months' pregnant at the time, was gang-raped and seven members of her family were killed.