Bilkis Bano Case: During the hearing, the Supreme Court observed that the reasons cited in their application do not prevent them from complying with the January 8 order to surrender in two weeks.
New Delhi: In a significant development, the Supreme Court on Friday dismissed the applications filed by convicts in Bilkis Bano case seeking an extension of time to surrender before jail authorities and said the reasons cited by them to seek postponement of surrender and report back to jail have no merit.
The apex court observed that the reasons cited in their application do not prevent them from complying with the January 8 order to surrender in two weeks. With the latest ruling from the Supreme Court, the convicts will now have to surrender by Sunday.
Supreme Court dismisses the applications filed by convicts in Bilkis Bano case seeking extension of time to surrender before jail authorities.
The time to surrender by the convicts is expiring on January 21. pic.twitter.com/9KbqgWIALu
— ANI (@ANI) January 19, 2024
Earlier, three of the 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano case moved the Supreme Court, seeking an extension of time to surrender before the jail authorities.
Senior Advocate V Chitambaresh, appearing for the three convicts, mentioned the matter before a bench headed by Justice BV Nagarathna, seeking urgent listing of the case, saying the time of surrender is expiring on January 21.
Justice Nagarathna said that the bench that passed the judgement in the Bilkis Bano case, comprising herself and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan, has to hear the applications.
The apex court then directed its Registry to seek orders from the Chief Justice of India for the constitution of the bench and listing of the case on Friday.
Another counsel told the bench that another convict would also file applications during the day. The applications have been filed by three convicts–Govindbhai Nai, Mitesh Chimanlal Bhatt, and Ramesh Rupabhai Chandana–who, among others, were granted remission by the Gujarat government in the gangrape of Bilkis Bano and the murder of her family members during the 2002 Godhra riots.
They were sentenced to life imprisonment but released in August 2022 after serving 14 years of sentence.
Govindbhai has sought an extension of time by four weeks to surrender, citing health issues and the fact that he is the only caretaker of his elderly parents.
Ramesh Rupabhai Chandana sought an extension of six weeks, citing health issues, harvesting of crops and his son’s marriage.
Mitesh Chimanlal Bhatt, 62, says he is an old senior citizen, has undergone eye surgery for a cataract and sought six weeks to surrender due to the impending harvest of crops.
On January 8, the Supreme Court struck down the Gujarat government’s order granting remission to 11 convicts. It had quashed the Gujarat government’s remission order, by which convicts were released pre-maturely, and asked them to surrender before jail authorities within two weeks.