New Delhi: Supreme Court directed the Gujarat Government on Monday to give compensation of Rs. 50 lakhs, Job and an accommodation to Mrs. Bilkis Bano. She was gang raped at Godhra riots in 2002 in Gujarat, when she was five months pregnant.

   A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi asked the Gujarat Government why it had not complied with the apex court’s earlier order of April 23^rd to give compensation to Ms. Bano. “Why has the compensation not been paid?” the bench, which also comprised Justice S.A. Bobde and justice S.A. Nazeer, asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta who was appearing for the state.

    Mr. Mehta said the compensation of Rs. 50 lakhs was not provided for in the victim compensation scheme of Gujarat. And the state would like to file a plea seeking review of the top Court’s April order.

   “No. why have you not paid the compensation”, the bench asked, adding, “should we not in the order that the compensation has been ordered keeping in view the peculiar facts of the case”.

    Mr. Mehta agreed but said some more time was needed to provide her a job. “Even two weeks time is not needed” the bench said. Later, Mehta gave an undertaking to the Supreme Court that the compensation, job and accommodation would be given to Ms Bano within two weeks”.