WEDNESDAY, MAY 22, 2024
Team Herald
In a significant development, eleven convicts involved in the infamous Bilkis Bano case surrendered themselves to the Godhra jail authorities late Sunday night, adhering to the Supreme Court's directive issued on January 8. The apex court had overturned the remission and premature release granted to these individuals by the Gujarat government on August 15, 2022.
The 11 convicts, including Radheshyam Shah, Jaswant Nai, Govind Nai, Kesar Vohania, Baka Vohania, Raju Soni, Ramesh Chandana, Shailesh Bhatt, Bipin Joshi, Pradip Modhiya, and Mitesh Bhatt, arrived at the Godhra sub-jail in Panchmahal district, coming from Singwad in Dahod district, just before midnight. They reached the jail premises in two separate vehicles, with most of them travelling in a 10-seater multi-utility vehicle led by an SUV.
Confirming the surrender, officials of the district police stated that they had actively monitored and escorted all 11 accused into the jail premises. In anticipation of this event, several units of personnel from the Panchmahal district police had been deployed for security outside the Godhra sub-jail since late Sunday evening.
The surrender occurred despite the convicts' attempt to seek more time, citing reasons such as the ill-health of ageing parents, a family wedding, and ongoing crop harvest. The Supreme Court had dismissed their petitions just two days before, emphasizing that the Gujarat government had exceeded its jurisdiction by granting remission to the convicts. The court emphasized that the state government had encroached on the authority of the Maharashtra government in this matter.
The Gujarat government had released the convicts on August 15, 2022, under its 1992 remission policy, following a May 2022 Supreme Court order prompted by a petition from one of the convicts, Radheshyam Shah. Bilkis Bano had challenged the state government's decision, leading to the apex court's intervention.
Bilkis Bano, who was 21 years old and five months pregnant at the time, had endured a horrific incident of gang rape while fleeing with her family from Randhikpur during the 2002 Sabarmati train carnage. 14 members of her family, including her three-year-old daughter, lost their lives in the same incident.
