Convicts in Bilkis Bano Case Surrender as Supreme Court Nullifies Remission

Eleven convicts involved in the infamous Bilkis Bano case surrendered late Sunday night at Godhra jail, adhering to the Supreme Court’s two-week deadline set on January 8. The court revoked the remission and premature release granted by the Gujarat government on August 15, 2022. The surrendered convicts, including Radheshyam Shah and Jaswant Nai, arrived at the Godhra sub-jail in Panchmahal district, escorted by district police. The surrender followed the Supreme Court’s dismissal of their pleas for additional time, citing reasons such as ill-health and family events.

The surrender unfolded two days after the Supreme Court rejected the convicts’ petitions seeking an extension, where they had cited various reasons, including family commitments. On January 8, the Supreme Court nullified the Gujarat government’s decision to grant remission to the 11 convicts, who were sentenced to life for their involvement in raping Bilkis Bano and killing her family during the 2002 Gujarat riots. The court asserted that the Gujarat government exceeded its jurisdiction and “usurped” the power of the Maharashtra government in this matter, emphasizing the lack of competence in the decision.

The Bilkis Bano case dates back to the 2002 Gujarat riots, where Bano, 21 and pregnant, was gang-raped while fleeing with her family. Fourteen members of her family, including her three-year-old daughter, were killed. The Gujarat government’s release of the convicts on August 15, 2022, under its 1992 remission policy, prompted legal challenges. Bano, persistent in seeking justice, approached the Supreme Court, leading to the recent decision nullifying the remission and ensuring the surrender of the 11 convicts involved in this tragic incident.

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