Bilkis Bano Case: Three Convicts Seek Time Extension to Surrender; SC to Hear Urgent Listing

Bilkis Bano Case: Three Convicts Seek Time Extension to Surrender; SC to Hear Urgent Listing

VoM News Desk | January 18, 2024 | 03:07 PM IST | Breaking News, Courts & Law | Follow on Google News

Bilkis Bano Case: Three Convicts Seek Time Extension to Surrender; SC to Hear Urgent Listing

Bilkis Bano Case: Three Convicts Seek Time Extension to Surrender; SC to Hear Urgent Listing

Three of the 11 convicts involved in the Bilkis Bano case have approached the Supreme Court, requesting an extension of time to surrender before jail authorities. Senior Advocate V Chitambaresh, representing the convicts, sought urgent listing of the case before a bench headed by Justice BV Nagarathna, as the surrender deadline is approaching on January 21.

Justice Nagarathna highlighted that the bench responsible for the Bilkis Bano case judgment, comprising herself and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan, needs to hear the applications. The Supreme Court directed its Registry to seek orders from the Chief Justice of India for the constitution of the bench and listing the case on Friday.

The convicts—Govindbhai Nai, Mitesh Chimanlal Bhatt, and Ramesh Rupabhai Chandana—had received remission from the Gujarat government in the Bilkis Bano gangrape and murder case during the 2002 Godhra riots. They were sentenced to life imprisonment but were released in August 2022 after serving 14 years of their sentence.

Govindbhai Nai cited health issues and being the sole caretaker of elderly parents, seeking a four-week extension. Ramesh Rupabhai Chandana requested a six-week extension, citing health issues, crop harvesting, and his son’s marriage. Mitesh Chimanlal Bhatt, a senior citizen, sought a six-week extension due to health reasons and impending crop harvesting.

On January 8, the Supreme Court overturned the Gujarat government’s remission order, instructing the 11 convicts to surrender within two weeks. The court held that the remission order was not within Gujarat’s jurisdiction but the Maharashtra government’s. The judgment revealed that the court was misled, and proceedings were based on the suppression of facts, describing it as a “fraud played on this court.”

The case originated from a petition by Bilkis Bano and others challenging the premature release of the 11 convicts involved in the gangrape and murder during the 2002 post-Godhra riots.

VoM News Desk

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