Three of the 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano case have approached the Supreme Court, seeking an extension of time to surrender before the jail authorities. The convicts have requested an urgent listing of the case as the time of surrender is expiring on January 21. The matter was mentioned before a bench headed by Justice BV Nagarathna, who stated that the bench that passed the judgement in the Bilkis Bano case has to hear the applications. The Supreme Court has directed its Registry to seek orders from the Chief Justice of India for the constitution of the bench and listing of the case on Friday. Another convict is expected to file applications later in the day.
The convicts who have filed the applications include Govindbhai Nai, Mitesh Chimanlal Bhatt, and Ramesh Rupabhai Chandana. They were granted remission by the Gujarat government for their involvement in the gangrape of Bilkis Bano and the murder of her family members during the 2002 Godhra riots. Although they were sentenced to life imprisonment, they were released in August 2022 after serving 14 years of their sentence.
Govindbhai has cited health issues and being the sole caretaker of his elderly parents as reasons for seeking an extension of four weeks to surrender. Ramesh Rupabhai Chandana has cited health issues, harvesting of crops, and his son’s marriage as reasons for seeking an extension of six weeks. Mitesh Chimanlal Bhatt, who is 62 years old and an old senior citizen, has undergone eye surgery for a cataract and requested a six-week extension to surrender due to the impending harvest of crops.
The Supreme Court had previously struck down the Gujarat government’s order granting remission to the 11 convicts. It held that the Gujarat government was not competent to pass the remission orders and that it was the Maharashtra government’s jurisdiction. The court stated that the judgement of May 13, 2022, which directed the Gujarat government to consider remission of the convict as per the 1992 policy, was obtained by playing fraud on the court and suppressing material facts. Bilkis Bano and others had filed a petition challenging the premature release of the convicts, leading to the Supreme Court’s decision.
Bilkis Bano was allegedly gang-raped and left to die with 14 members of her family, including her three-year-old daughter, during the post-Godhra riots in March 2002. She was five months pregnant when the rioters attacked her family in Vadodara.
