On February 23, the Gujarat High Court granted parole to one of the convicts involved in the Bilkis Bano gang rape case. The convict, Ramesh Chandana, has been permitted a ten-day parole to attend his nephew’s wedding. This decision comes nearly a month after the convict surrendered before the jail authorities in Godhra. The High Court, presided over by Justice Divyesh Joshi, approved the parole request, considering the grounds presented by Chandana. This marks the second instance of a convict being granted parole in this case, following the rule of grounds of parity involving another convict, Pradipbhai Ramamlal Modiya. The eleven convicts were convicted for their roles in the gang rape of Bilkis Bano and the murder of her family members during the 2002 Gujarat riots.
Gujarat: On February 23, nearly a month after surrendering to jail authorities in Godhra, one of the convicts involved in the Bilkis Bano gang rape case was granted ten-day parole by the Gujarat High Court to attend his nephew’s wedding.
Justice Divyesh Joshi, the single judge, approved the parole on Friday, taking into account Ramesh Chandana’s request to attend his nephew’s marriage (his sister’s son).
Advocate Khushbu P. Vyas represented the applicant, while Additional Public Prosecutor Ronak Raval represented the state.
In its order, the Court stated,
“Considering the grounds urged in the application, the applicant is ordered to be released on parole leave for a period of 10 days on him furnishing a bail bond of ₹5,000, to the satisfaction of the jail authority on usual terms and conditions.”
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Following the rule of grounds of parity in this case being granted parole. Earlier this month, Pradipbhai Ramamlal Modiya, another convict, was granted parole for five days by the High Court following the demise of his father-in-law.
Background
The eleven convicts, including Ramesh Chandana, were convicted for the rape of Bilkis Bano and the murder of her family members during the Gujarat riots of 2002. They include Radheshyam Shah, Jaswant Nai, Govind Nai, Kesar Vohania, Baka Vohania, Raju Soni, Shailesh Bhatt, Bipin Joshi, Pradip Modhiya, and Mitesh Bhatt.
On August 14, 2023, the convicts were released from prison after being granted remission by the Gujarat government. The remission was granted in accordance with a May 2022 Supreme Court judgment, which emphasized that the remission application should align with the state’s policy where the crime occurred.
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However, on January 8, Justices BV Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan nullified the remission granted by the Gujarat government, ruling that the state lacked authority to apply its remission policy to these convicts. The Supreme Court also found that the convict who had sought remission had not disclosed the material facts, rendering the earlier ruling invalid. As a result, the bench directed all eleven convicts to surrender within two weeks of the ruling.
CASE TITLE: Chandana Rameshbhai Rupabhai vs State of Gujarat
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