NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday in its order rejected the petitions filed by all the eleven convicts in the Bilkis Bano gangrape case seeking more time, beyond January 21, to surrender before the jail authorities, after noting that the pleas "lacked merits."
"The reasons cited by the 11 convicts seeking an extension of time to surrender lacked merits. The convicts will have to surrender before the jail authorities by January 21, the original deadline set by the Court as per its January 8 judgment which set aside their premature release," the Special Bench of the Apex Court, headed by Justice B V Nagarathna and also comprising Justice Ujjal Bhuyan, said in its order on Friday.
While turning down the pleas of all the 11 convicts, the Top Court said that they have to surrender by January 21, Sunday, as per the earlier direction of this court.
The Apex Court passed the order after hearing the 11 convicts' desperate pleas for an extension of more time to surrender to the jail authorities.
"The reasons cited by the (11) 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," the Court said while dismissing the applications.
The 11 convicts had yesterday moved the SC, seeking more time to surrender in the case citing ill health, harvest of winter crops, and son's marriage.
The Supreme Court had yesterday agreed to list for hearing today the applications filed by the ten convicts. Only one convict had moved SC yesterday night in the Bilkis Bano case, seeking more time also to surrender in the case.
The Supreme Court in its landmark verdict on January 8, had quashed the Gujarat govt’s August 15, 2022, decision and order to grant remission to 11 convicts, sentenced to life term for the gangrape of Bilkis Bano & killing her family members during the 2002 Gujarat communal riots and directed all these 11 convicts to surrender within two weeks in the case by January 21, Sunday.
The Gujarat govt had granted remission to all these 11 convicts on August 15, 2022, following a May 2022 judgment in which the top court held that an application of remission should be considered in line with the policy of the State where the crime was committed and not where the trial was held.
The Gujarat govt's remission to all the 11 convicts of Bilkis and freeing them created a huge public outrage with social activists, lawyers, and civil society terming it as "miscarriage of justice."
Names of the 11 convicts who were set free by the Gujarat govt are as follows: Jaswant Nai, Govindbhai Nai, Shailesh Bhatt, Radhyesham Shah, Bipin Chandra Joshi, Kesarbhai Vohania, Pradeep Mordhiya, Bakabhai Vohania, Rajubhai Soni, Mitesh Chamanlal Bhat and Ramesh Rupabhai Chandana.
