• Source:JND
Add as a preferred

The Supreme Court agreed to list the petition after three of the 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano case sought more time to surrender after their remission was cancelled. This came after the apex court quashed the Gujarat Government’s erstwhile decision, following which the convicts were released. 

Senior lawyer V Chitambaresh sought an early hearing in the case as three men are to surrender on January 21, as per a report by NDTV. 

ALSO READ: Chandigarh Mayor Election Postponed: Congress Says ‘BJP Can't Accept Their Defeat'

Convict Govindbhai Nai sought four-month time asserting he is the only person to look after his 88-year-old bedridden father and 75-year-old mother. He said his two children are financially dependent on him. Nai also cited his poor health as one of the reasons to seek more time to surrender. 

The second convict, Ramesh Chandana, sought a six-month time owing to his son’s marriage. The third one, Mitesh Bhatt, asked for more time citing the harvest season. 

The Supreme Court, in a historic judgment, quashed the Gujarat government’s decision to grant remission to 11 persons convicted in the gangrape of Bilkis Bano and the murder of her family members in the backdrop of the 2002 Godhra riots. The bench of justices BV Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan declared the Gujarat government’s order null and void’, asserting that it was not authorised to pass such orders.  

ALSO READ: Four Children, Three Women Killed As Pakistan Launches Retaliatory Strike In Iran: Report

The top court chided the Gujarat government stating that it usurped the power of the Maharashtra government and that the remission decision was a sheer abuse of power. The bench questioned why Gujarat did not file a review petition, adding that the latter was not entitled to decide on remission for the convicts.