Bilkis Bano Case: Supreme Court To Hear Pleas Of Convicts Seeking Extension To Surrender

The Supreme Court has agreed to take up the application filed by three of the 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano case, seeking an extension of time to surrender to jail authorities.

The 11 convicts have been sentence to life for the gangrape of Bilkis Bano and the murder of her family members during the 2002 Gujarat riots.

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A bench presided by Justice B V Nagarathna, before whom the applications were mentioned, directed the Registry to get the orders of Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud to reconstitute the bench which had heard the case, Indian Express reported.

Earlier on 8 January, the Apex Court had quashing the remission granted by the Gujarat government to the 11 convicts and asked them to surrender to jail authorities within two weeks.

Three of the convicts subsequently moved SC seeking more time to surrender citing different personal reasons.

On Thursday (18 January), their counsel pointed out to the bench that the deadline set by the court for their surrender expires on 21 January and requested the court to take it up on Friday (19 January).

The counsel also pointed out that though only three applications have been filed so far, more may be filed during the day.

Agreeing to the request, the Supreme Court bench said in the order, “Since the concerned bench has to be reconstituted, Registry to seek orders from…the Chief Justice of India for reconstitution of the bench and the listing of the applications as it is submitted that the time expires on January 21, 2024”.

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