Justice Prevails: Bilkis Bano convicts surrender in Gujarat as SC deadline ends
Source: 'X'
Guwahati, Jan 22: In a significant development, all 11 convicts in the 2002 Bilkis Bano gangrape case surrendered at a Gujarat jail on Sunday night, complying with the deadline set by the Supreme Court.
They turned themselves in at the Godhra sub-jail, located in the Panchmahal district.
Earlier, on January 8, the Supreme Court directed the convicts, who were released prematurely on Independence Day in 2022, to surrender to jail authorities by January 21. Despite their request for an extension, the court declined to grant them additional time on January 19.
The convicts presented reasons including health concerns, upcoming surgeries, family weddings, and agricultural responsibilities. They appealed for an extension to surrender, citing these factors.
The Supreme Court observed that the grounds presented by the applicants to delay their surrender and return to jail were deemed without merit.
The 11 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.
Bilkis Bano, at 21 and five months pregnant, was gang raped as she attempted to escape the distress of the communal riots following the Godhra train burning incident in February 2002.