 "Bilkis Bano case: Supreme Court directs rapists to surrender by January 21")
The Supreme Court (SC) has dismissed applications from convicts in the Bilkis Bano case, seeking an extension of the surrender deadline set for January 21. The convicts had moved the court days after the remission granted by the Gujarat government was quashed, requesting additional time to surrender.
The apex court, while rejecting the extension pleas, stated that the reasons presented by the convicts for postponing surrender lacked merit. The court had annulled the remission on January 8, criticising the Gujarat government for being "complicit" and abusing its discretion. The convicts, initially released prematurely on Independence Day in 2022, were directed to return to jail within two weeks.
The matter was presented before a bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and Sanjay Karol, instructing the registry to place the applications before Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud for bench reconstitution, as the current bench expires on Sunday.
Senior advocate V Chitambaresh, representing some convicts, urged an urgent listing on Friday, emphasising the January 21 deadline for surrender.
Reason cited by convicts for extension of surrender deadline
The five convicts seeking relief were Govind Nai, Pradeep Mordhiya, Bipin Chandra Joshi, Ramesh Chandana, and Mitesh Bhatt.
Govind Nai, Pradeep Mordhiya, and Bipin Chandra Joshi cited ill health in their respective pleas. Nai stated that he suffered from asthma and had recently undergone an angiography. Mordhiya, having undergone lung surgery, claimed the need for regular consultations with doctors, while Bipin Chandra Joshi cited a recent leg surgery.
Ramesh Chandana and Mitesh Bhatt asked the court for an extension till winter crop harvesting was complete. Chandana emphasised this responsibility as the sole male member of his family.
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Bilkis Bano case
Bilkis Bano was a victim of gang rape, and seven members of her family were murdered during the 2002 communal riots. In 2008, 11 men were convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment on charges of rape and murder. In August 2022, all 11 convicts were released prematurely as part of the Gujarat government's remission policy. On January 8, the Supreme Court quashed the remission of the 11 convicts and criticised the Gujarat government for remitting their sentences, asserting that it exceeded its authority, and the Maharashtra government was vested with the power to grant remission.
The Supreme Court ordered the convicts to return to jail within two weeks after quashing the remission, the deadline for which is Sunday, January 21.
(With agency inputs)