In a big blow to the Gujarat government, the Supreme Court on Thursday refused to remove comments made in its order related to the release of convicts in the Bilkis Bano case.

The state requested removal of certain remarks against it when the top court overruled the premature release of 11 men convicted of raping Bilkis Bano and killing her family during the 2002 Gujarat riots.

The Gujarat government petition also flagged the court’s comment that it had “acted in collusion and colluded with the convicts”. The state government argued the comment was inappropriate and against the record of the case, and also biased against the petitioner.

However, a bench of Justice BV Nagarathna and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan disagreed.

“Having carefully gone through the Review Petitions, the order under challenge and the papers annexed therewith, we are satisfied that there is no error apparent on the face of the record or any merit in the Review Petitions, warranting reconsideration of the order impugned…”

The top court, in July, had dismissed interim bail petitions filed by two convicts – Radheyshyam Bhagwandas and Rajubhai Babulal. They claimed an “anomalous” situation had arisen; i.e., two different benches of the top court had taken opposite views on the state’s early release policy.

READ | “What Is This…”: Top Court Junks Bilkis Bano Convicts’ Bail Pleas

The court, though, junked that plea.

In January the Supreme Court said the 11 men – who were released by the Gujarat government for “good behaviour” – had to return to jail. The state government was not competent to release the men, the top court said in a landmark order on a decision that had triggered public fury.

“The exemption order lacks competence,” the Supreme Court said, berating the Gujarat government for passing such an order “without application of mind”.

READ | “Abuse Of Power By Gujarat”: Bilkis Bano’s Rapists To Return To Jail

The court also noted convicts could only be released by the state that tried them in the first place; in this case, that state was Maharashtra. “The exercise of power by the state of Gujarat is an instance of usurpation of power and abuse of power,” the court had said.

In passing this order the court also came down heavily on its judgment of May 2022, delivered by Justice Ajay Rastogi (retired), which allowed the convicts to appeal to the Gujarat government for their early remission. The convicts got the order “through fraudulent means”, the judges said. They also noted that the Gujarat government should have sought a review of the 2022 order.

The convicts were released by Gujarat on the basis of an obsolete 1992 remission policy, which has since been superseded by a law in 2014 that bars the release of convicts in cases of capital offence.

The convicts were given a hero’s welcome, with garlands and sweets, and they were seen sharing stage with a BJP MP and an MLA. Convict Radheshyam Shah even started practising law, the Supreme Court was told during an 11-day hearing last year of petitions, including one by Bilkis Bano.

Bilkis Bano was 21 and five months’ pregnant when she was gang-raped while fleeing during the communal riots that broke out after the fire in Sabarmati Express in which 59 kar sevaks were killed. Her three-year-old daughter was among the seven family members slaughtered in the riots.

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The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) has released a video explaining its strikes deep inside Lebanon where it alleged Hezbollah had hidden weapons in populated areas.

The IDF said Hezbollah has been hiding weapons inside Lebanese homes.

“For the last 20 years, Hezbollah built its terror network within population centres in Lebanon – primarily throughout southern Lebanon, an area that they turned almost entirely into a launch pad to attack Israel,” the IDF said.

“Hezbollah doesn’t want you to watch this video. And they really don’t want you to share it,” it said in the video posted on X.

The IDF’s video is being seen as an effort to ward off criticism over attacks in populated areas in Lebanon.

“The IDF has launched a defensive operation against the Hezbollah terror organisation by conducting precise intelligence-based strikes on hundreds of Hezbollah targets. Our goal is to thwart imminent attacks planned by Hezbollah who intended to use the very weapons that we destroyed – at Israeli homes,” the IDF said.

“Our goal is to make sure that Israeli families can safely and securely return to their homes,” it said.

Hezbollah doesn’t want you to watch this video.

And they really don’t want you to share it. pic.twitter.com/aN9kE42a2L

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) September 26, 2024

In the latest strikes today, Israel bombed a Hezbollah commander’s location in Beirut’s southern suburbs, a source close to the group told news agency AFP, as Israel’s army announced it was carrying out precision raids in the Lebanese capital.

“An Israeli strike targeted a Hezbollah commander,” the security source said, requesting anonymity as they were not authorised to speak to the media. It is the fourth such attack targeting Hezbollah commanders in the area in a week.

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