Bilkis Bano case: SC denies plea of convicts seeking extension to surrender
The Supreme Court of India (Photo: PTI)
Guwahati, Jan 19: The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed the petitions by the 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano case seeking an extension to surrender to the authorities.
A bench presided over by Justice BV Nagarathna said that the petitions lacked merit and directed the convicts to report to prison officials by January 21.
It may be mentioned that the apex court on January 8 quashed the Gujarat government’s decision to release the 11 convicts who were involved in the spine-chilling gang rape case of Bilkis Bano and also murdered seven of her family members during the 2002 Gujarat riots.
The apex court mentioned that Gujarat is not ‘competent’ to decide on remission, as the rapists were convicted and sentenced in Maharashtra.
The bench directed all the convicts to return to jail and further sought fresh remission from the Maharashtra government.
Bilkis Bano, the victim, was gang raped when she was 21 years old and was five months pregnant during the incident.