DISMISSING THE applications filed by the 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano case, who had sought more time to surrender, the Supreme Court on Friday said the reasons cited “have no merit”.
Quashing the remission granted by the Gujarat government, the Supreme Court, on January 8, had asked the convicts to surrender to the jail authorities within two weeks. The deadline expires on January 21.
The convicts had moved the Supreme Court seeking more time to surrender, citing different personal reasons — failing health, impending surgery, son’s marriage and harvesting of crops.
Dismissing their pleas, a bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan said on Friday: “We have heard learned senior counsel and counsel for the applicants and the counsel for the non-applicants also. The reasons cited by the 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.”
Bilkis Bano was gangraped and her three-year-old daughter was among 14 people killed by a mob on March 3, 2002, during the riots in Limkheda taluka of Gujarat’s Dahod district. She was pregnant at the time.
The 11 men were convicted in 2008 by a CBI court in Mumbai. The Supreme Court had transferred the trial in the case from Gujarat to Maharashtra in 2004 citing “exceptional circumstances”.
On August 15, 2023, the Gujarat government released the 11 convicts under its 1992 remission and premature release policy citing a “unanimous” recommendation of the Jail Advisory Committee to grant them remission on grounds of “good behaviour”.
PILs were filed in the Supreme Court against the release of the convicts and subsequently, Bilkis Bano herself moved court.
On January 8, the Supreme Court said the Gujarat government was not the “appropriate government” to decide on the remission plea, and struck down the relief granted to them.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
First uploaded on: 19-01-2024 at 1:17 pm IST
