Late on Sunday night, all 11 convicts involved in the Bilkis Bano case surrendered at the Godhra sub-jail in Gujarat's Panchmahal district, adhering to the Supreme Court's deadline. The convicts reached the jail before midnight on January 21, the stipulated surrender date, according to local Crime Branch inspector NL Desai.
The Supreme Court had previously declined to extend the surrender deadline, instructing the convicts to comply by Sunday. The convicts had sought an extension citing 'ill health,' 'harvest of winter crops,' and a 'son's marriage,' as reported by Bar and Bench.
On January 8, the Supreme Court had invalidated the Gujarat government's decision made in August 2022 to prematurely release the 11 convicts serving life terms. The court ordered their return to jail within two weeks, overturning their premature release on Independence Day in 2022.
In August 2022, the Gujarat government had granted premature release to the 11 convicts, who had spent 14 years in jail as part of a life sentence. This decision was based on their remission applications under the state's 1992 policy, citing their 'good conduct' during imprisonment.
The Supreme Court, in its 251-page judgment, declared that the Gujarat government lacked jurisdiction to entertain remission applications. Only the government of the state where the offenders were sentenced holds the competence to consider such applications and issue orders.
The 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano case include Bakabhai Vohania, Bipin Chandra Joshi, Kesarbhai Vohania, Govind Nai, Jaswant Nai, Mitesh Bhatt, Pradeep Mordhiya, Radheshyam Shah, Rajubhai Soni, Ramesh Chandana, and Shailesh Bhatt.
Bilkis Bano, 21 years old and five months pregnant at the time, was gang-raped while trying to escape communal riots following the Godhra train burning incident in February 2002. Tragically, her three-year-old daughter was among the seven family members killed during the horrifying events.