SC Denies Extended Surrender Time To Bilkis Bano Convicts: Details Here

Bilkis Bano, the survivor of the brutal gang rape during the 2002 Gujarat riots, expressed immense relief and vindication after the Supreme Court's verdict ordering the Gujarat government to re-incarcerate the 11 convicts released prematurely. 

The Supreme Court's verdict came after Bano challenged the Gujarat government's decision in 2022 to release the convicts under its 1992 remission policy suspended in 2014. The convicts were serving life sentences for the gang rape of her when she was 5 months pregnant and the brutal killing of seven members of Bano's family, including her three-year-old daughter.

Bano's long and arduous fight for justice has finally prevailed as the top court of the country on Monday finally ruled the 11 "sanskari brahmins" convicted in the case to be sent back to jail ordering them to surrender within 2 weeks nullifying the rule of Gujarat's court on the verdicts. 

Supreme Court Denies 'Extension' Of Bilkis Bano Convicts:

In a significant update to the Bilkis Bano gang-rape case, the Supreme Court of India has rejected pleas filed by the 11 convicts seeking an extension of their surrender deadline. This means that the men, who were released early in August 2022, must return to jail by Sunday, January 21, 2024, to serve their full life sentences.

On January 8, 2024, the Supreme Court upheld the petitioners' arguments, ruling that the Gujarat government's remission orders were invalid. The Court also ordered the convicts to surrender within two weeks.

However, some of the convicts filed petitions seeking an extension of this deadline, citing various reasons such as family obligations and medical conditions. The Supreme Court, however, dismissed these petitions on Friday, January 19, 2024, saying that they lacked merit.

The Supreme Court's decision has been hailed as a victory for Bilkis Bano and the fight for justice in this case. It ensures that the convicts will now face the full consequences of their crimes.

The convicts are now expected to surrender to jail authorities by Sunday, January 21, 2024. It is unclear whether they will file any further appeals in the case.

Bilkis Bano Statement After The Top Court Verdict:

As the whole country was at relief hailing SC's verdict in the case, Bano released her statement through her lawyer Advocate Shobha Gupta and even expressed her gratitude to Gupta for standing by her side for 20 years and never letting her lose hope even once over the idea of justice.

Bano said in her statement to The Indian Express, "Today is truly the New Year for me. I have wept tears of relief. I have smiled for the first time in over a year and a half. I have hugged my children. It feels like a stone the size of a mountain has been lifted from my chest, and I can breathe again. This is what justice feels like. I thank the honourable Supreme Court of India for giving me, my children and women everywhere, this vindication and hope in the promise of equal justice for all."

Bano shared how shattered and threatened she felt after hearing Gujarat's court relief verdict as she said "A year and half ago, on August 15, 2022, when those who had destroyed my family and terrorised my very existence, were given an early release, I simply collapsed. I felt I had exhausted my reservoir of courage." 

Bano thanked the legal system of the country and said "Even as I absorb the full meaning of this verdict for my own life, and for my children's lives, the dua that emerges from my heart today is simple - the rule of law, above all else and equality before the law, for all"

Read her full statement here:

Her story is a testament to the power of courage and resilience in the face of unimaginable adversity. It is also an inspiration for many to fight back and hope for justice. The Supreme Court's verdict is a significant step towards ensuring that survivors of sexual violence get the justice they deserve.

In 2022, On Independence Day, the Gujarat Court ordered the release of the 11 convicts over their "good behaviour". The 11 convicts were serving life imprisonment but were released as per the remission policy 1992, which was already suspended in 2014. 

On the release of the convicts, they were felicitated with garlands and celebrated like heroes. At the same time, the Gujarat court's verdict had sparked outrage across the country, with many raising concerns about the safety of women and the erosion of the justice system.

Many came in support of Bano's fight for justice as they filed a petition to the top court of the country to seek justice. There were several PILs signed challenging the Gujarat Court's verdict over the relief of the verdicts by TMC leader Mahua Moitra, CPI(M) leader Subhashini Ali, former vice-chancellor of Lucknow University Roop Rekha Verma, and an independent journalist Revati Laul.