Meet The Three Women Petitioners Who Fought For Bilkis Bano's Justice

After an arduous fight for over two decades, the Supreme Court gave justice to Bilkis Bano, the woman who was gang-raped and whose seven family members were murdered in the 2002 Gujarat riots. The court scrapped the release of 11 convicts who were granted remission by the Gujarat government in August 2022. Three women-- retired Lukhnow University professor Roop Rekha Verma, CPI (M) leader Subhashini Ali, and journalist Revati Laul fought together for Bilkis Bano by filing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) challenging the remission. 

Ali, who had personally met Bilkis Bano at a relief camp in 2002, told The Indian Express about the sorrowful reaction she heard after finding out about the remission in 2022. "When I heard that Bilkis asked whether this was the end of justice, it was like an electric shock. I thought what are we all doing? We were lucky that very good lawyers like Kapil Sibal, Aparna Bhat and others were helping us,” she said.

On SC's Verdict

"The petition had already been drafted and I was contacted. I was already incensed with the remission. I was an NDTV journalist in Gujarat and had met Bilkis after the incident happened. I have also written a book called Anatomy Of Hate. I readily agreed to be the third petitioner,” journalist Revati Laul told The Indian Express.

The Supreme Court bench, comprising Justices BV Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan, heard petitions challenging the Gujarat government's decision to grant remission to the 11 convicts. Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra also separately filed a petition. On Monday, the apex court declared the remission as, "an instance of usurpation of jurisdiction and… of abuse of discretion," ordering the convicts be sent back to jail within two weeks.

Petitioner Roop Rekha Verma told the media, "(The judgement) boosts confidence that still there are judges who are impartial, and we can expect justice as per law... After a very long time, good judgment has come. The 11 rape-cum-murder convicts will have to return back to jail. It will teach a lesson to these offenders." 

Professor Verma cited the judgement saying, "The SC, too, has observed that Gujarat government acted in complicity with the convicts... This complicity is very serious and it's a matter of shame that an entire State machinery was working to save the rapist." Verma has not personally met Bilkis Bano.

Who Are The Three Women Petitioners?

Roop Rekha Verma: Roop Rekha Verma is a social activist and retired Lucknow University vice chancellor and former professor of philosophy. The 80-year-old has been a poster woman for several activism campaigns and long-running trials, amplifying silenced voices and fighting for the justice of those who are wrongly convicted.

One of the cases she is best known for is her fight for journalist Sidheeq Kappan, who was slapped with the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and arrested in October 2020. Verma was one of the two Uttar Pradesh natives who volunteered to stand surety for Kappan, for his bail agreement.

Verma is the founder-secretary of a non-government organisation called Saajhi Duniya, which works against gender-based violence. 

Subhashini Ali: Ali is a member of the central committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and a leader of the All India Democratic Women's Association, where she formerly served as the President. In 2015, she was inducted into the Polit Bureau (PB) of the CPI(M), making her the second woman member in the PB.

She has also been a Member of Parliament of Kanpur. She has been an influential figure in activism for women's rights, vocalising her support for women across India. She is also noted for a Hindi translation of the Communist Manifesto by Marx and Engels, published in 2019.

Revati Laul: Laul is an independent journalist, previously associated with several leading media houses of India. She has been a vital catalyst in Bilkis Bano's long journey to justice. In 2018, Laul authored and published the book, The Anatomy Of Hate, which is known to be the first-ever account of the perpetrators of the 2002 Gujarat riots. 

She is a Master's graduate in History from Jawaharlal Nehru University and was associated with media houses like NDTV and Tehelka. The Delhi-based writer's work has also been published in The Quint, The Wire, Scroll, and The Hindustan Times.