Several counsel appearing for the convicts raised objections on not being served the notice on Bano's plea, which made the top court make strong observations.
In the International Criminal Court's Statute, victims are placed at the heart of justice. In India, there appears to be no uniform legal compulsion to hear the victims’ views before granting remission to a convict.
"This is an irony. Our prime minister spoke of women empowerment, and the state from where he comes, released these men, who gang-raped a helpless woman," the former high court judge said.