Amrutha Avasarala, Pune
The convicts of the Bilkis Bano case, earlier this month, were asked to surrender to the police by 21st January 2024 for a Supreme Court hearing. A plea was filed by the convicts requesting for an extension of the time period but the appeal was dismissed by the Court.
The Gujarat High Court on 14th August 2023, released 11 convicts of the case under a remission policy on account of Independence Day. A petition was filed in the Supreme Court challenging the Gujarat court’s decision.
On January 8th, a bench led by Justice BV Nagarathna quashed the judgment of the Gujarat court and ordered the convicts to surrender to the jail authorities in two weeks and the deadline was set to 21st January 2024. Three of the convicts appealed to the court to extend the deadline but the bench dismissed the plea and reaffirmed the decision to surrender by 21st January 2024.
The reasons stated in the plea were domestic responsibilities, winter harvest, and the son’s wedding. The bench, while dismissing the plea, said, “We have heard learned senior counsel and counsel for the applicants and the counsel for the non-applicants also. The reasons cited by applicants to seek postponement of surrender and report back to jail have no merit inasmuch as those reasons in no way prevent them from complying with our directions. Hence the MAs [miscellaneous applications] are dismissed. Pending applications if any also stand disposed.”
In February 2002, in the turmoil of Godhra riots, Bilkis Bano faced the horrors of gang rape and murder of her family. She was five months pregnant when she was raped by 11 men. Seven of her family members, including her 3-year-old daughter, were killed by the gang.
After the incident, Bilkis approached the National Human Rights Commission and appealed to the Supreme Court for Justice after the police rejected her case. The SC then directed the case to the CBI under which the investigation took place and the accused were presented before the Bombay High Court in 2008. The court declared a life sentence for the convicts. In 2002, having been in prison for 15 years, the convicts requested an early release and were granted the release under the remission policy. This was then challenged in the SC and earlier this month, the apex court ordered the convicts to surrender before 21st January 2024. On Friday, the court dismissed the plea of convicts for an extension of time before surrender.