New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday ordered the Gujarat government to pay a compensation of Rs 50 lakh to Gujarat riots victim Bilkis Bano within two weeks, declining to reconsider its decision. A bench headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi directed the state to also provide her a job and accommodation in the next two weeks.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the state government, submitted before the bench that they sought to seek a review of the April order by the top court.
Responding to a contempt plea filed by Bano, Mehta said the order has not been complied with since the Gujarat government wanted the court to reconsider its directive in terms of the precedent it might set.
At this, the CJI clarified that the order to pay compensation along with a job and accommodation was in view of specific facts and circumstances in the particular case.
"We make it clear that our order was in view of the particular facts and will not be a precedent. Now you pay her the compensation within two weeks. We are giving you two weeks although you may not even need that much time," said the court.
The court had in April directed the state government to pay Bano the compensation, and also assure her a job and accommodation. It had then said: “While the state eventually punished the perpetrators of the crime, the victim was left devastated after seeing human fury at its worst.”
The court added: "Not only was she raped 22 times, her daughter aged 3.2 years was smashed to death. Ever since the appellant has been living a nomadic life and surviving at the charity of NGOs. The appellant is now 40 years old and not very well educated. She has lost her entire family."
"We don't have to search for elaborate principles of law to decide that the victim must be adequately compensated. Time and again this court has held that quantum of compensation has to be judged according to the loss suffered," held the Supreme Court on its April order.
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