Bilkis Bano Case: Convicts Seek Delay in Surrender, Citing Family, Health, and Harvest Woes

The Supreme Court of India will hear pleas today from several convicts in the Bilkis Bano case who are seeking extensions of their deadline to surrender to jail authorities. This comes less than two weeks after the court overturned their premature release by the Gujarat government, sparking nationwide outrage and questions about justice for the 2002 gang-rape survivor.

In a landmark decision on January 8, the Supreme Court ruled that the Gujarat government lacked jurisdiction to release the 11 convicts, who were originally sentenced to life imprisonment for multiple murders and the brutal gang rape of Bilkis Bano during the 2002 Gujarat riots. The court granted them two weeks to surrender, which expires this Sunday.

Fearing immediate incarceration, the convicts, through their lawyers, have filed applications requesting additional time. Their reasons range from upcoming weddings and harvest seasons to ailing family members and personal medical conditions.

Some Highlights:

• Radheshyam Bhagwandas Shah claims he needs six weeks to settle financial arrangements for his aged parents and son.
• Jaswantbhai Chaturbhai Nai cites the ongoing harvest season, his family's sole source of income.
• Govindbhai Nai, who suffers from asthma and hemorrhoids, seeks four weeks to manage his own health and that of his dependent parents and children.
• Shaileshbhai Chimanlal Bhatt argues for a six-week extension due to his son's upcoming wedding, harvest season, and his own age and medical concerns.
• Bipinchand Kaniyalal Joshi, who recently underwent leg surgery, needs six weeks to care for his wife battling cancer and brother.
• Kesharbhai Khimabhai Vohania (R8) needs six-week due to his son's impending marriage and medical conditions.
• Pradip Ramanlal Modhiya (R9) requires a four-week owing to the recent loss of his wife and the need for lung surger
• Rajubhai Babulal Soni (R11) needs six-week as he is responsible for caring for his aged mother, wife, and two sons; he also needs time to make financial arrangements before surrendering. 
• Mitesh Chimanlal Bhatt (R12) needs a six-week  extension  due to the upcoming harvest season and his son's impending surgery. 
• Ramesh Rupabhai Chandana (R13) needs a six weeks extension  due to a heart ailment, the upcoming harvest season, arranging his son's marriage, and the responsibility of caring for his aged and ailing mother.

On August 14, 2023, the convicts were released before completing their entire prison sentences, thanks to the remission granted by the Gujarat government. The decision by the Gujarat government faced legal challenges from several petitioners, including Bilkis Bano, who took the matter to the Supreme Court.

Bilkis Bano's case is particularly poignant as she was 21 years old and five months pregnant when she fell victim to a gang-rape while escaping the riots that erupted in Gujarat following the Godhra train burning incident in 2002. Tragically, her three-year-old daughter was among the seven family members who lost their lives during the violence.