Bilkis Bano Case Convict Accused Of Outraging Woman's Modesty While On Parole

One of the 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano gang rape case was booked for outraging a woman’s modesty while on parole. The convict, Mitesh Chimanlal Bhatt was accused of outraging a woman’s modesty while on parole and the trial in the case is still pending.

On Monday, the Gujarat government told the Supreme Court that the convicts were released as they had completed 14 years in prison and their behaviour was found to be good. The apex court had asked the Gujarat government to file the entire record of the proceedings in the Bilkis Bano case, including the remission order.

Bilkis Bano approached the Supreme Court on November 30, challenging the premature release of the 11 men convicted of gangraping her and murdering her family in the 2002 Gujarat riots.

Bano filed a review plea against the May order of the Supreme Court which allowed the Gujarat government to apply the 1992 Remission Rules to release the convicts. The apex court is set to hear Bano's plea on December 13.

Bilkis Bano Case Convict

The Gujarat Home Department’s Under Secretary informed that Bhatt is accused of committing the offence of outraging a woman’s modesty under Section 354, Section 504, and Section 506 (2) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) while he was out in parole during June 2020.

The information about Bhatt’s offence was provided to the District Magistrate Dahod by the superintendent of police (SP) when the Gujarat government was considering the remission order of the 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano gang rape case.

Trinamool Congress (TMC) Member of Parliament Mahua Moitra had previously raised questions about the release of the convicts. After it was revealed that one of the convicts was accused of outraging a woman’s modesty while on bail, Moitra referred to how the convicts were released for “good behaviour”.

Moitra tweeted, “Bilkis convict Mitesh Bhatt molested woman while on parole in 2020, trail pending u/354 IPC... Achhe Din. Acche Log. Beti ko molest karna bhi apka liye ‘good behaviour’”?

The Bilkis Bano case convicts were released on Independence Day this year under an outdated remission policy of the Gujarat government. The record of proceedings in the Bilkis Bano case and the remission order revealed that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and a special civil judge opposed the remission of the convicts.

The CBI has described the offence committed by the convicts as "heinous, grave, and serious". The investigating agency added that the convicts couldn't be released prematurely and "no leniency may be given" to them.

Suggested Reading: Court Document Reveals Centre Approved Release Of Bilkis Bano Case Convicts