India's Supreme Court Reverses Early Release of Bilkis Bano's Rapists

Court orders 11 men convicted in 2002 Gujarat riots case to return to jail, criticizes Gujarat government's decision to release them early

India's Supreme Court has reversed the early release of 11 men convicted of the gang rape of Bilkis Bano and the murder of her family during the 2002 Gujarat riots, ordering them to return to jail within two weeks.
The men were released in 2022 after serving 14 years of a life sentence, following a decision made by an advisory panel set up by the Gujarat state government, which is led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The Supreme Court ruled that the Gujarat government was not competent to release the men and accused it of being complicit with the convicted rapists.
The court's decision was widely celebrated as a sign of the judiciary’s independence, but recent rulings and conduct from its justices still illustrate Modi’s sweeping influence on the Court.
Bilkis Bano, who was five months pregnant at the time of the attack, said the court's decision felt like a 'stone the size of a mountain has been lifted from my chest, and I can breathe again.'