Friday, March 11 2005 18:53 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Mumbai: Bilkis Bano, the key witness in the Bilkis Bano gang rape-cum-murder case, today (Mar 11, 2005) reportedly denied in a special court that she had falsely implicated the accused and stuck to her guns alleging that the accused had committed the gory crime.

Bilkis denied the suggestion of the defence that she had not seen the incident of murder and rape and had falsely implicated the accused, according to special public prosecutor R K Shah.

She was replying to cross-examination by defence lawyers in a special court, which is conducting an 'in-camera' trial amidst tight security in Mumbai.

Bilkis also said that she had fled with her family after the onset of the riot on February 28 and visited some places up to the date of the incident on March 3, 2002, he said.

The defence also questioned Bilkis on her medical examination, which had taken place on March 5, 2002 at the Limkheda Civil Hospital, he said.

The matter has been adjourned till March 21 by the special court, when her cross examination would continue.

Currently in the in-camera trial, Bilkis' examination-in-chief has concluded and the defence lawyers are cross-examining her for the alleged gang rape-cum-murder, which had taken place at Dahod in Gujarat on March 3, 2002 during the post-Godhra riots.