Bilkis Bano case: Supreme Court denies more time for convicts to surrender
Indian Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of India on Friday (January 19) denied request by Bilkis Bano rape convicts ofgranting them an extension to surrender before jail authorities. The 11 convicts gang-raped Bilkis Bano and murdered her family members during 2002 riots in India's western state of Gujarat. All of them received life sentences but the Gujarat government granted their release after 14 years in prison.
Last week, Supreme Court of India quashed their premature release and ordered them to surrender in jail within two weeks.
A Supreme Court bench of Justices BV Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan dismissed thepetitions by the convicts saying that the reasons offered by them for extension have no merit.
"The reasons cited by applicants to seek postponement of surrender and report back to jail have no merit in as much as those reasons in no way prevent them from complying with our directions. Hence, the miscellaneous applications are dismissed. Pending applications, if any, also stand disposed," said the bench.
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The convicts had cited reasons like health issues, aged parents, impending harvest of crops among others.
As the Supreme Court has denied extension of time, the convicts will now have to surrender by January 22.
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The names of the convicts are: Bakabhai Vohania, Bipin Chandra Joshi, Kesarbhai Vohania, Govind Nai, Jaswant Nai, Mitesh Bhatt, Pradeep Mordhiya, Radheshyam Shah, Rajubhai Soni, Ramesh Chandana and Shailesh Bhatt.
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India's top court, while quashing Gujarat government's decision, said that the latter had no jurisdiction to consider application for remission of sentences.
The Bilkis Bano case
Bilkis Bano was 21 years old and was five months pregnant when she was gangraped by the convicts. She was trying to escape the horrific communal riots that swept the state after train burning incident in Godhra in 2002. Bilkis Bano's three-year-old daughter was among her family memberskilled by the convicts.
(With inputs from agencies)