On January 8, the Supreme Court directed the all the eleven convicts to report back to the prison authorities within two weeks. Three convicts in the Bilkis Bano case have requested the Supreme Court for more time to surrender before jail authorities.
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NEW DELHI: In the Bilkis Bano case, three of the eleven convicts, Govindbhai Nai, Ramesh Rupabhai Chandana, and Mitesh Chimanlal Bhat has approached the Supreme Court with a plea for an extension of six weeks to surrender. This request comes in the wake of the Supreme Court’s January 8 decision, which overturned the Gujarat Government’s remission orders that had prematurely released the convicts in August 2022 after they served 14 years of their sentence.
The convicts, found guilty of raping Bilkis Bano and murdering her family members during the 2002 Gujarat riots, were initially released following a May 2022 Supreme Court judgment. This judgment stated that remission applications should be considered in accordance with the policy of the state where the crime occurred, which in this case was Gujarat, and not where the trial was conducted, which was Maharashtra. However, this decision to grant remission and release the convicts was later challenged in the Supreme Court by various petitioners, including Bilkis Bano herself.
In his application, convict Govindbhai Nai, aged 55, cites personal health issues and family responsibilities as reasons for seeking the extension. He mentions his role as the sole caretaker for his elderly parents, with his father being 88 years old and his mother 75. Additionally, he highlights his own health concerns, stating that he is an older man suffering from asthma and in poor health.
Convict Ramesh Rupabhai Chandana has sought extension of time by another six weeks claiming he has to get his son married and fulfill the responsibility.
Convict Mitesh Chimanlal Bhat has also sought six weeks extension stating his winter produce is ready for harvest and he would prefer to complete the process and then surrender.
The case has garnered significant attention, with the Supreme Court’s bench, comprising Justices BV Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan, holding that the State of Gujarat lacked jurisdiction to grant remission in this case. They provided a two-week window for the convicts to surrender, a timeline now contested by Govindbhai Nai’s recent plea.
This ongoing legal battle in the Bilkis Bano case continues to evoke strong reactions and highlights the complexities involved in the Indian judicial system’s handling of remission policies, especially in cases of such severe crimes. The Supreme Court’s forthcoming decision on this extension request will be a critical next step in this long-standing legal saga.
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