Bilkis Bano case: In the latest development in Bilkis Bano case, three convicts have applied to the Supreme Court (SC), requesting an extension of their surrender deadline by four to six weeks before jail authorities.3 convicts in the Bilkis Bano case requested SC on surrender extensionDuring an urgent mention before a bench headed by Justice B V Nagarthana, the lawyers requested the bench to focus on this case immediately as the time of surrender is ending this Sunday.After that, the bench directed the registry to place the case before the Chief Justice of India for an urgent hearing on this surrender date extension request. Reportedly, the hearing is expected to take place on Friday.In the plea, one of the convicts, Govindbhai stated the responsibility of caring for his 88-year-old father and 75-year-old mother, saying that he was their sole caretaker.Another convict, Ram Rupabhai Chandana, sought a six-week extension as he needed time to arrange the marriage of his son.Mitesh Chimanlal Bhat, the third convict, also requested a six-week extension, mentioning that his winter produce was ready for harvest, and he would like to complete this task before surrendering.Supreme Court quashes Gujarat govt orderOn January 8, the SC canceled an order passed by a Gujarat court to release 11 convicted men of raping Bilkis Bano and killing seven of her family members during the 2002 post-Godhra riots in Gujarat.The court had quashed that state order, saying it was “not competent enough to pass such an order and termed the move a fraud act.”On August 15, 2022, the 11 convicts were released after completing 15 years completing 15 years in prison, along with considerations of their age and behaviour during incarceration.Bilkis Bano Case - OverviewBilkis was 21 years old and five months pregnant when she was gang-raped during the Gujarat riots after the Godhra train burning incident on March 3, 2002. Seven of her family members including her toddler daughter were also killed.
