22 INJURED AS BUS SKIDS OFF ROAD IN KANGRA

SHIMLA: Twenty-two passengers were injured when a private bus carrying a marriage party skidded off the road in Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra district on Monday , a district official said. The accident took place near Parour in Palampur sub-division at around 6.30am. The bus skidded off the road and hit a tree 15-feet below road level, he said. Seven injured have been admitted at Nagrota Bagwan Hospital and three at Palampur Civil Hospital. Another 12 have been referred to the

Tanda Medical College, he added. NEWDELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Gujarat government to give within two weeks ₹50 lakh compensation, a job and an accommodation of choice to Bilkis Bano, who was gang raped when she was five months pregnant during the 2002 riots in the state.

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

The Bench also consisting Justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna, expressed concern about the victim after learning t hat s he had been l i vi ng a nomadic life and on charity.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the state, told the bench that compensation of ₹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.

“Should we note in the order that the compensation has been ordered keeping in view the peculiar facts of the case,” the bench, al s o c omprising j ust i c e s SA Bobde and SA Nazeer, observed and asked the state government to give the compensation, job and accommodation to Bilkis within two weeks.

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

In April, the apex court had directed the Gujarat government to rehabilitate and pay ₹50 lakh as compensation to Bilkis Yakub Rasool Bano, who was gang raped at the age of 21 in 2002, post the Godhra riots.

Bilkis Bano had filed a contempt plea in the top court. The solicitor general said the April order by the top court has not been complied yet as the government seeks reconsideration of its directive.

“It will set a precedent,” contended Mehta. The court did not agree on this contention.

The Chief Justice clarified that the order to pay compensation along with a job and accommodation was in view of specific facts and circumstances in connection with this case.

The court observed that her infant daughter was “smashed” against the wall in their house before her. Bano was pregnant when she was gang-raped by a mob, which also killed seven members of her family at Randhikpur village near Ahmedabad on March 3, 2002.

Chief Justice Gogoi had pointed out that the rehabilitation of the victim is at priority, after her lawyer contended before the court she has lost everything in the tragedy.

“In today’s world, money is the best healer... We are not sure, if it can heal her, but what else can we do for her... As per her condition, ask for whatever compensation you want and we will pass orders accordingly,” Chief Justice Gogoi had told the Bano’s lawyer.

Gujarat government counsel also informed the top court that three guilty officials, who tried to tamper with evidence in the Bilkis Bano gang-rape case, have been stripped off entire pension benefits, and an IPS officer has been demoted by two ranks.