11 convicts in Bilkis Bano case surrendered at Godhra sub jail on Sunday evening as directed by apex Court
As directed by the Supreme Court of India, the eleven accused in Bilkis Bano case have surrendered before the Godhra sub jail under the jurisdiction of district Panchmahal on Sunday.
According to one of the relatives of the culprits in Bilkis Bano case, after the directions from the Supreme Court, the eleven convicts released on independence day by Gujarat government for their good conduct last year surrendered on the evening hours on Sunday, 21 st January.
It may be recalled that after the 11 convicts of Bilkis Bano case were released by the Gujarat government on the independence day in 2022 , the victim Bilkis, Bano and other petitioners had approached the Supreme Court opposing the release of these convicts including media hype and leaders of opposition raising the issue from various forums including parliament . The names of the eleven convicts of Bilkis Bano case are : All the 11 convicts in the case were: Bakabhai Vohania, Bipin Chandra Joshi, Kesarbhai Vohania, Govind Nai, Jaswant Nai, Mitesh Bhatt, Pradeep Mordhiya, Radheshyam Shah, Rajubhai Soni, Ramesh Chandana and Shailesh Bhatt.
On 8 th January the two judge bench of Supreme Court issued a judgement directing all the 11 convicts released by state government to surrender within two weeks.
After the apex court’s directions for surrender, five of them had approached the apex Court requesting them to grant some more time to surrender in view of the marriage of their children, severe ailments, bad health and existing surgery etc but the apex Court didn’t agreed to their appeals and quashed them saying that their appeal doesn’t carried any logic or weight.
While quashing the appeals for bail of the convicts in Bilkis Bano case, the Supreme Court said that the petitioner Radhey shyam Bhagwan Dass while acknowledging the two judge bench judgement of the apex Court had committed deceit and submitted wrong facts.
The Supreme Court two judge bench had said that Shah had then approached the Supreme Court and asked for clarification whether which state has, the right to take decision of the exemption. Maharashtra where the trial took place or Gujarat where the incident / crime happened or was committed Shah had said in Supreme Court that the high courts of Gujarat and Maharashtra had delivered entirely different versions/ judgements.
The infamous amd obnoxious Bilkis Bano case takes us back to February 2002 Godhra riots, after which a 21 years old and five months pregnant hapless woman namely Bilkis Bano confronted the most outrageous, tortuous and barbaric act of her gang rape and subsequent brutal murder of her three year old daughter including seven other relatives after Godhra train massacre that shook everyone at the pan India level subsequently eruption of Godhra riots that claimed several lives.
