Bilkis Bano gang rape case: All 11 convicts surrender after Supreme Court's order against early release
Bilkis Bano; Picture credit: @LawTodayLive
Eleven men convicted of the brutal mass sexual assault of Gujarat woman Bilkis Bano surrendered at a Godhra prison hours before the Supreme Court-mandated two-week deadline to surrender, set on January 8, ended.The apex court revoked the remission and premature release granted to these individuals by the Gujarat government on August 15, 2022.
The surrendered individuals—Radheshyam Shah, Jaswant Nai, Govind Nai, Kesar Vohania, Baka Vohania, Raju Soni, Ramesh Chandana, Shailesh Bhatt, Bipin Joshi, Pradip Modhiya, and Mitesh Bhatt—made their way from Singwad in Dahod district to the Godhra sub-jail in Panchmahal district just before midnight. They reportedly arrived in two separate vehicles.
Also watch |Bilkis Bano case: SC overturns early release of all 11 convicts
Ahead of the expected surrender, multiple units of personnel from the Panchmahal district police of Gujarat state were reportedly deployed for security outside the Godhra sub-jail since late Sunday evening.
Authorities at the Godhra sub-jail verified the surrender at 11:45 pm on Sunday, the Indian Express reported.
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The development follows the Supreme Court's dismissal of the convicts' petitions seeking more time to surrender, where reasons such as the ill-health of ageing parents, a family wedding, and crop harvest were cited. On January 8, the top court nullified the Gujarat government's decision to grant remission and added that the state had overstepped its jurisdiction.
The court's observation came as the men faced trial and were convicted in neighbouringMaharashtra state and not in Gujarat.
Convicts were released under Gujarat govt's remission policy
The convicts, sentenced to life for sexually assaulting Bilkis Bano and killing her family during the 2002 Gujarat riots, were released on August 15, 2022, based on the Gujarat government's 1992 remission policy. Bilkis Bano had challenged the state government's move before the apex court.
Bano, who was 21 years old and five months pregnant at the time of the incident, survived a brutal gang rape while fleeing with her family from Randhikpur in the aftermath of the 2002 Sabarmati train carnage. While fleeing, a total of 14 family members of her household, including her three-year-old daughter, died.
(With inputs from agencies)