The conviction of 12 of the 19 accused in the Bilkis Bano rape case will provide a ray of hope to thousands of victims of the Gujarat riots. Bilkis was five months pregnant when she was gang-raped, beaten up and left for dead. She witnessed a mob of rioters attack members of her family. Eight of her relatives were butchered to death and six went missing. Her two-year-old daughter was snatched from her arms and smashed to death. Her agony did not end there. For six years, Bilkis and the surviving members of her family have run from pillar to post in quest of justice. Their effort was blocked at every turn. Police officers refused to register the complaints filed by her family members. The family was threatened with dire consequences if they persisted with the case. Doctors conducting the post-mortem on the bodies of their dead kin destroyed evidence and fudged the reports. When the case came up for trial, witnesses were threatened. The Gujarat government closed her case. The Supreme Court then stepped in and transferred the trial to Mumbai. It was only because of this historic decision of the apex court to transfer cases out of Gujarat that the trial was able to proceed without much political interference. The Bilkis Bano case was similar in several ways to the Best Bakery case. Both symbolised the difficult battle that victims had to put up for justice. And in both cases, justice was possible only because of the intervention of the Supreme Court.

The judgement has taken a long time coming. Many will be disappointed that five of the six policemen who were charged with shielding the guilty will walk free. Still, the court’s conviction of most of the accused in the case is heartening. This should steel the resolve of other victims who are pursuing justice against all odds in the riot cases. They need to draw inspiration from Bilkis’ brave decision to testify and identify her assailants, enabling the prosecution to get them convicted.

If the battle for justice for Gujarat riot victims has been kept alive this is because of the effort and courage of victims, a handful of social activists and non-government organisations. The government, politicians and parties across the political spectrum have done little to support the battle for justice. Beyond mouthing platitudes and engaging in rhetoric, politicians have completely failed the victims of the riots, whether in the courts or in rehabilitating them.